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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. march — the month
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. sharp — clever
  6. march — the month
  7. last — final
  8. rock — a stone
  9. present — the time now
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. last — to go on
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. net — in sport
  15. rule — government
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. net — after costs
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. net — for catching
  20. rock — music
  21. march — music
  22. present — there
  23. last — finally
  24. present — a gift

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