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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: bore · mark · hand · spell · court · chip · root · bass

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bass — low music
  4. bore — to drill
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bore — to tire
  11. hand — in cards
  12. spell — letters
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mark — a grade
  15. root — the cause
  16. chip — to eat
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. hand — help
  21. mark — a trace
  22. court — of a king
  23. spell — magic
  24. chip — for betting

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