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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: court · race · temple · bark · deal · club · roll · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a list
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. club — for golf
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. court — of a king
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. club — a group
  11. court — for sport
  12. deal — to handle
  13. club — for dancing
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. chip — to eat
  16. race — the arms race
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. roll — a cake
  19. court — of law
  20. race — humankind
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. race — a contest
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. deal — a big deal

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