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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bay · court · chip · fall · key · last · fan

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. court — for sport
  3. last — finally
  4. chip — to eat
  5. sharp — clever
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. last — final
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fall — to drop
  11. key — the most important part
  12. court — of a king
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. key — in music
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. fall — the season
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. court — of law
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. last — to go on

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