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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. chip — to eat
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chip — for betting
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. wind — moving air
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wind — moving air
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. hand — help
  21. sharp — clever
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. sharp — exactly

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