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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. chip — to eat
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. sharp — clever
  8. kick — in football
  9. branch — a division
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. ball — a great time
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ball — a dance
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. chip — for betting
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. scale — in music
  24. kick — a thrill

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