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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: racket · chip · bound · court · mine · game · deal · stem

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bound — obliged
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. deal — to handle
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bound — tied together
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. court — of law
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mine — for digging
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. court — for sport
  21. bound — certain
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. stem — a stem cell

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