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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: trunk · foot · squash · band · chip · rush · court · content

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. court — of law
  3. band — a music group
  4. content — the amount
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. court — of a king
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rush — hurry
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. chip — for betting
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. foot — a measure
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. band — a ring
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. content — happy
  24. court — for sport

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