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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. spring — a coil
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rash — hasty
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cell — in biology
  18. suit — to fit
  19. chip — for betting
  20. drill — the tool
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rash — a series
  23. drill — army training
  24. chip — to eat

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