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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: row · cap · kick · sharp · fork · chip · leaves · bass

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. row — to paddle
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. kick — in football
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bass — low music
  21. sharp — clever
  22. row — a line
  23. fork — in a road
  24. cap — a lid

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