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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chip — for betting
  8. roll — a list
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. rash — a series
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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