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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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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: row · squash · ball · chip · pop · cabinet · bound · court

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. court — of a king
  3. row — a line
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. row — to paddle
  11. ball — a great time
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. court — for sport
  14. bound — obliged
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bound — certain
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. chip — to eat
  22. squash — the sport
  23. chip — for betting
  24. court — of law

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