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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: court · cue · rush · fine · chip · fan · bear · clip

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. court — of law
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. court — of a king
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cue — a signal
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. court — for sport
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. chip — to eat
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. clip — to cut
  24. fine — a penalty

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