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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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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: chip · lean · net · court · march · spell · object · last

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. march — the month
  3. spell — letters
  4. march — music
  5. net — for catching
  6. object — to protest
  7. court — for sport
  8. march — the month
  9. object — an aim
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. lean — thin
  12. spell — a short time
  13. court — of a king
  14. object — a thing
  15. lean — to bend
  16. net — after costs
  17. chip — to eat
  18. last — to go on
  19. spell — magic
  20. chip — for betting
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. court — of law
  24. lean — to rest against

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