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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: leaves · coach · sharp · staff · lie · chip · game · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. staff — employees
  3. chip — for betting
  4. net — in sport
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. staff — employees
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chip — to eat
  11. game — a match
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. staff — a stick
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. net — after costs
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. coach — a trainer

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