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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 116 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 · wound · bank · file · net · last · mouse · court

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. court — for sport
  4. net — in sport
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bank — for money
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. court — of law
  10. last — final
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chip — to eat
  14. bank — for money
  15. net — after costs
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. net — for catching
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. bank — of a river
  24. court — of a king

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