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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. sharp — clever
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. cell — a phone
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. chip — for betting
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. kick — in football

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