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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 120 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pitch — completely
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pit — a hole
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. chest — of your body
  7. sharp — clever
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. game — a match
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chip — to eat
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. game — wild animals
  24. saw — the tool

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