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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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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 · leaves · sharp · chip · mark · club · bowl · cell

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. chip — to eat
  3. club — for golf
  4. mark — a trace
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cell — a phone
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. row — a line
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. club — a group
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. sharp — clever
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. mark — a grade
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. row — to paddle
  24. cell — in biology

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