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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: key · land · hand · court · leaves · bank · chip · mark

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. court — of a king
  3. chip — to eat
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bank — for money
  6. mark — a trace
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. key — in music
  9. court — for sport
  10. mark — a grade
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. chip — for betting
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bank — for money
  16. land — a country
  17. hand — help
  18. land — to come down
  19. court — of law
  20. land — ground
  21. bank — of a river
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. hand — in cards
  24. leaves — to go away

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