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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: spell · chip · court · staff · ball · degree · board · racket

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. staff — employees
  3. spell — letters
  4. court — of a king
  5. degree — temperature
  6. ball — a great time
  7. spell — a short time
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. degree — from a university
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. spell — magic
  12. court — for sport
  13. degree — an amount
  14. staff — employees
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. staff — a stick
  19. ball — a dance
  20. court — of law
  21. chip — to eat
  22. board — to get on
  23. chip — for betting
  24. board — a committee

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