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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. wound — an injury
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. court — of law
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. chip — for betting
  8. lean — thin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. chip — to eat
  14. court — of a king
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. court — for sport
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cue — a hint
  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