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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitch — completely
  7. chip — to eat
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. file — a tool
  11. rock — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. deal — to handle
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. scale — in music
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rock — a stone
  24. chip — for betting

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