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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mug — to rob
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. kid — child
  6. wax — to grow
  7. season — in sport
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. mug — a cup
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ball — a dance
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mug — a face
  22. ball — a great time
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wax — in the ear

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