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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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 — with an edge
  2. chip — to eat
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cold — not warm
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — boats
  9. sharp — clever
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. kid — child
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bear — the animal
  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