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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. track — to keep track
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. stem — to come from
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. land — to come down
  7. track — a path
  8. drill — the tool
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chip — to eat
  11. track — a song
  12. ground — the earth
  13. chair — a leader
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. drill — army training
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. ground — a position
  20. chip — for betting
  21. drill — a practice
  22. ground — crushed
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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