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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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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: chip · cap · court · wound · land · leaves · current · clip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. court — for sport
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. cap — a lid
  9. clip — for paper
  10. current — happening now
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cap — of ice
  13. land — to come down
  14. current — electric
  15. wound — an injury
  16. chip — to eat
  17. clip — a video
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. current — of water
  20. cap — a hat
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. land — a country
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — ground

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