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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 116 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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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: kick · chair · stick · sharp · rash · bay · wind · chip

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rash — a series
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rash — hasty
  13. chair — a leader
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. kick — with a leg

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