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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mug — a face
  3. rash — hasty
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mug — a cup
  10. pit — in a race
  11. vault — a safe
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pit — a hole
  21. chip — for betting
  22. sharp — clever
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. chip — in a computer

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