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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. chip — for betting
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. ground — a position
  6. sharp — clever
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rash — a series
  12. row — to paddle
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. ground — the earth
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. chip — to eat
  22. cell — a phone
  23. row — a line
  24. cell — in a prison

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