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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · mug · chip · court · file · band · foot · season

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mug — a cup
  3. foot — a measure
  4. court — of law
  5. file — a document
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. file — a tool
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. season — of the year
  12. band — a music group
  13. court — of a king
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. band — a ring
  16. season — in sport
  17. court — for sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. file — a line of people
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. chip — for betting
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bowl — a football final

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