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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. can — to be able to
  3. present — a gift
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. can — a tin
  7. club — for golf
  8. wound — an injury
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. present — there
  11. capital — a city
  12. can — a tin
  13. sharp — clever
  14. club — a group
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. chip — for betting
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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