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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: chair · leaves · rest · bay · ball · hide · court · sharp

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rest — what's left
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rest — a break
  10. court — of a king
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. chair — a leader
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. court — of law
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. court — for sport
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. ball — a dance
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rest — what's left

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