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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.

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: court · rash · staff · sharp · wound · lie · net · can

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. net — for catching
  4. can — a tin
  5. lie — to recline
  6. can — a tin
  7. staff — a stick
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. net — in sport
  10. staff — employees
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rash — a series
  15. net — after costs
  16. staff — employees
  17. court — of a king
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. can — to be able to
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. court — of law
  23. wound — an injury
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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