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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: chair · court · roll · tear · chip · mouse · squash · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. roll — a list
  6. court — of a king
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. court — of law
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wake — a trail
  16. squash — to crush
  17. tear — from crying
  18. court — for sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. roll — a cake

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