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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: pop · chip · mine · bat · fine · court · cap · deal

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pop — soda
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. chip — for betting
  8. fine — all right
  9. court — for sport
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. cap — a lid
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. court — of a king
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fine — high quality
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. court — of law
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mine — for digging
  24. deal — to handle

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