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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. capital — money
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bark — to shout
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. capital — a city
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. sharp — clever
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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