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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · spring · race · chip · scale · kick · straw · drill

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. chip — to eat
  3. scale — size or range
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. scale — in music
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. spring — a coil
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. chip — for betting
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. drill — the tool
  20. sharp — clever
  21. race — a contest
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

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