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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. spell — letters
  6. ground — crushed
  7. spell — a short time
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. ground — a position
  10. rest — a break
  11. content — happy
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. ground — the earth
  15. content — the amount
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rule — a law
  18. rest — what's left
  19. squash — the sport
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. chip — to eat
  22. rule — government
  23. spell — magic
  24. rest — what's left

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