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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: band · tear · chip · court · pit · foot · chest · rock

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chip — for betting
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. band — a music group
  13. court — of law
  14. foot — a measure
  15. chest — of your body
  16. tear — to rip
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. rock — music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chest — a box
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rock — a stone
  24. pit — a hole

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