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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: staff · fall · bulb · coach · sharp · chip · court · roll

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. roll — a list
  3. chip — to eat
  4. court — of law
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. roll — a cake
  7. court — of a king
  8. fall — the season
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fall — to drop
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. court — for sport
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — clever
  22. staff — employees
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. chip — for betting

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