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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: snap · court · bowl · wind · can · kick · chip · cold

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. court — for sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cold — not warm
  7. can — a tin
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. kick — in football
  13. wind — moving air
  14. can — to be able to
  15. snap — to click
  16. chip — for betting
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cold — an illness
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. can — a tin
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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