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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: court · last · file · pitcher · fork · temple · chip · track

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. file — a tool
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. track — to keep track
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. last — finally
  11. chip — to eat
  12. fork — in a road
  13. court — of law
  14. chip — for betting
  15. track — a path
  16. file — a line of people
  17. court — for sport
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a document
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. track — a song
  24. pitcher — a jug

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