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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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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: cabinet · trunk · chip · ground · deal · fine · pop · court

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fine — high quality
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. chip — to eat
  10. court — of a king
  11. ground — the earth
  12. court — of law
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pop — music
  16. deal — to handle
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ground — a position
  19. pop — to visit
  20. ground — crushed
  21. court — for sport
  22. pop — soda
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. chip — in a computer

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