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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. face — part of the head
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. face — to confront
  10. stock — shares
  11. sharp — clever
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chip — for betting
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mine — for digging
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. face — to point toward
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chip — to eat
  22. stock — goods
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. coach — a trainer

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