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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mug — a cup
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. net — in sport
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. net — for catching
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bore — to tire
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bore — to drill
  22. mug — a face
  23. dip — to sink
  24. net — after costs

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