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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. spell — letters
  4. ground — a position
  5. spell — magic
  6. chip — for betting
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. ground — the earth
  11. court — for sport
  12. chip — to eat
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. ground — crushed
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. kid — child
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. kid — to tease

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