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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: court · trunk · file · roll · club · chip · rash · object

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. club — for dancing
  3. file — a tool
  4. chip — for betting
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rash — a series
  7. object — an aim
  8. club — a group
  9. court — for sport
  10. roll — a cake
  11. court — of law
  12. object — a thing
  13. file — a line of people
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. object — to protest
  18. rash — hasty
  19. court — of a king
  20. club — for golf
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. roll — a list
  24. file — a document

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