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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. season — in sport
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. net — in sport
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. staff — employees
  7. band — a music group
  8. staff — employees
  9. net — for catching
  10. kid — child
  11. chip — for betting
  12. last — to go on
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. kid — to tease
  15. band — a ring
  16. chip — to eat
  17. net — after costs
  18. staff — a stick
  19. last — final
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. sharp — clever
  23. last — finally
  24. sharp — with an edge

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