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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 120 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: kid · wound · court · dip · club · cabinet · arm · chip

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kid — to tease
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. kid — child
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chip — to eat
  9. court — of law
  10. club — a group
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. court — for sport
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. dip — to sink
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chip — for betting
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. club — for golf
  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