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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. sharp — clever
  4. shower — to wash
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mate — a partner
  7. row — to paddle
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. mate — a friend
  11. shower — rain
  12. last — finally
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. row — a line
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bear — the animal
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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