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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 120 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 is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. land — a country
  3. wind — moving air
  4. track — a song
  5. mug — a face
  6. game — wild animals
  7. land — to come down
  8. sharp — clever
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. land — ground
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. present — there
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. track — a path
  17. present — the time now
  18. game — a match
  19. present — a gift
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. track — to keep track

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