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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: mate · chip · mark · foot · net · mine · sharp · hide

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. net — in sport
  5. mate — to breed
  6. net — for catching
  7. mate — a partner
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. net — after costs
  11. chip — for betting
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mine — for digging
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mine — an explosive

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