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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. chip — for betting
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rash — a series
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. chip — to eat
  13. land — a country
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. land — ground
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. land — to come down
  21. spell — magic
  22. sharp — clever
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. spell — letters

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