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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · chip · cap · key · mate · bank · game · court

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mate — to breed
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. key — in music
  10. cap — of ice
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. mate — a partner
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cap — a lid
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bank — of a river
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bank — for money
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. bank — for money
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com