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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: racket · chip · sharp · game · bear · chest · bowl · cap

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. chip — to eat
  5. game — a match
  6. chest — a box
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cap — a lid
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. game — wild animals
  24. chip — in a computer

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