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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chip · mate · straw · date · ball · file · board · sharp

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. date — the fruit
  3. file — a tool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mate — a friend
  8. chip — to eat
  9. file — a line of people
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. mate — to breed
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. ball — a great time
  15. chip — for betting
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mate — a partner
  21. ball — a dance
  22. file — a document
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. sharp — with an edge

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