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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: kid · craft · stick · dip · swing · chip · court · bank

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. dip — to sink
  3. swing — to play on
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chip — for betting
  6. craft — boats
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. swing — music
  11. bank — of a river
  12. court — of a king
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. court — of law
  18. swing — in golf
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. kid — to tease
  21. craft — a skill
  22. chip — to eat
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. kid — child

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