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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. chip — to eat
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. swing — music
  5. cell — in biology
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. shower — rain
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mug — a cup
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cell — a phone
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mug — a face
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. swing — in golf
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. sharp — clever

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