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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. season — in sport
  3. game — a match
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. track — a song
  10. chip — for betting
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mate — to breed
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mate — a friend
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. season — of the year

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