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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. ground — a position
  3. chip — to eat
  4. firm — steady
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ground — the earth
  7. firm — a company
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. vault — a safe
  13. row — to paddle
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. firm — decided
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. row — a line
  24. ground — crushed

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