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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 124 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cell — a phone
  7. chip — to eat
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pass — a permit
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a city
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pit — in a race
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cell — in biology
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pit — a hole

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