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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: track · staff · chip · game · court · racket · shower · can

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. can — a tin
  3. game — a match
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. can — to be able to
  6. shower — to wash
  7. can — a tin
  8. staff — a stick
  9. chip — for betting
  10. game — wild animals
  11. staff — employees
  12. chip — to eat
  13. staff — employees
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. court — of a king
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. shower — rain
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. court — for sport

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