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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. march — the month
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. march — the month
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rash — hasty
  12. sharp — clever
  13. roll — a list
  14. rash — a series
  15. roll — a cake
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. march — music
  24. trunk — of a tree

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