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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: lash · row · sharp · land · face · chair · court · roll

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. land — a country
  3. sharp — clever
  4. row — to paddle
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. face — to confront
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. roll — a cake
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. chair — a leader
  12. court — for sport
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. face — to point toward
  15. row — a line
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. face — part of the head
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. court — of law
  24. roll — a list

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