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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 116 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. ground — the earth
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. can — to be able to
  5. spring — of water
  6. chip — for betting
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. can — a tin
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. spring — a coil
  19. chip — to eat
  20. sharp — clever
  21. can — a tin
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spring — the season
  24. mine — for digging

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