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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cap — a lid
  4. craft — boats
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cold — not warm
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. chip — to eat
  10. lean — thin
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cold — an illness
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cap — of ice
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. cap — a hat
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. chip — for betting
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. craft — a skill

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