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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. root — of a word
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. chip — to eat
  7. root — of a plant
  8. kick — in football
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. kid — child
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. mark — a grade
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wound — an injury
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. root — the cause
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bowl — to roll

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