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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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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. scale — in music
  11. mark — a trace
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cold — an illness
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. scale — size or range
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — a list
  21. craft — boats
  22. chip — for betting
  23. craft — a skill
  24. scale — for weighing

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