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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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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: chip · band · court · mark · foot · cabinet · cue · fall

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. court — for sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. chip — for betting
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cue — for pool
  10. chip — to eat
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. band — a music group
  15. fall — the season
  16. band — a ring
  17. cue — a signal
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. mark — a trace
  21. court — of a king
  22. cue — a hint
  23. mark — a grade
  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