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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. court — of law
  4. swing — music
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. chip — to eat
  8. suit — in cards
  9. wake — a trail
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. court — for sport
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. suit — clothes
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. swing — in golf
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. suit — to fit
  21. swing — to play on
  22. court — of a king
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chip — in a computer

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