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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. net — for catching
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. chip — to eat
  5. spring — of water
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. mate — a partner
  9. spring — a coil
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mate — to breed
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. spring — the season
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. net — in sport
  21. chip — for betting
  22. roll — a list
  23. net — after costs
  24. racket — for tennis

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