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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. roll — a cake
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. capital — money
  6. roll — a list
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. tube — a container
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. capital — a city
  11. chip — to eat
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wound — an injury
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. tube — the underground
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. roll — on a roll

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