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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: wound · court · chair · fan · chip · sharp · lie · bay

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. court — for sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. court — of law
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. court — of a king
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. chip — to eat
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chip — in a computer

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