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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. band — a ring
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wind — moving air
  22. band — a music group
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

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