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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. hand — help
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. cell — a phone
  14. root — of a word
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cell — in biology
  17. root — the cause
  18. file — a document
  19. root — of a plant
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. sharp — clever
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. hand — in cards

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