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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. net — after costs
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chair — a leader
  12. net — in sport
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. kid — to tease
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. net — for catching
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. kid — child
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mate — to breed

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