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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. lean — thin
  3. chip — to eat
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. craft — boats
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. chip — for betting
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rest — a break
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bass — the fish
  22. craft — a skill
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. scale — in music

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