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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: sharp · chip · firm · spell · court · bound · cold · lean

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. chip — for betting
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. spell — letters
  6. bound — tied together
  7. firm — steady
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cold — an illness
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chip — to eat
  13. lean — to bend
  14. spell — magic
  15. firm — decided
  16. court — for sport
  17. cold — not warm
  18. court — of a king
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. court — of law
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lean — thin
  23. bound — certain
  24. lean — to rest against

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