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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: foot · fall · cell · chip · mouse · fork · pop · sharp

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — for betting
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pop — to visit
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pop — music
  7. fall — the season
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pop — soda
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chip — to eat
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. cell — in biology
  24. foot — part of the body

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