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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. rest — a break
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. chip — to eat
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. capital — money
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. plane — a tool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. capital — a city
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rest — what's left
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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