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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rest — a break
  6. track — to keep track
  7. ground — crushed
  8. track — a path
  9. swing — to play on
  10. plane — a tool
  11. swing — in golf
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. track — a song
  17. rest — what's left
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ground — a position
  20. swing — music
  21. mate — to breed
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  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