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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tear — to rip
  3. game — a match
  4. cue — for pool
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. net — for catching
  7. staff — a stick
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. net — after costs
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. game — wild animals
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bat — the animal
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chip — to eat
  20. net — in sport
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — a signal
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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