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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: sharp · chest · mug · lean · court · wound · clip · staff

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. wound — an injury
  3. court — for sport
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. staff — employees
  7. court — of law
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. mug — to rob
  10. chest — a box
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mug — a face
  16. staff — employees
  17. mug — a cup
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. lean — to bend
  21. court — of a king
  22. lean — thin
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. staff — a stick

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