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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.

Make a worksheet

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: leaves · mate · court · chip · spell · clip · bark · stand

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. chip — for betting
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. mate — to breed
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bark — to shout
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. clip — a video
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. spell — a short time
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mate — a partner
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spell — magic
  23. court — of law
  24. clip — for paper

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