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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: band · chip · cell · pit · mate · kid · bowl · court

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. court — of law
  7. kid — child
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. court — for sport
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. kid — to tease
  13. court — of a king
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. band — a music group
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pit — in a race
  18. band — a ring
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pit — a hole
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mate — a friend

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