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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wind — moving air
  3. sharp — clever
  4. deal — to handle
  5. land — to come down
  6. suit — in cards
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. land — a country
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pit — in a race
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. land — ground
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. suit — to fit
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pit — a hole
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wind — moving air
  24. branch — a division

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