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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · sharp · pound · court · object · net · kid · mug

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. kid — to tease
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — an aim
  6. net — for catching
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. kid — child
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mug — to rob
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. chip — to eat
  15. net — after costs
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. net — in sport
  18. mug — a face
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mug — a cup
  21. sharp — clever
  22. court — of a king
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. object — to protest

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