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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 120 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: cell · lie · ground · sharp · mark · tear · chip · scale

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mark — a grade
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ground — a position
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. ground — crushed
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cell — in biology
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cell — a phone
  15. tear — from crying
  16. scale — in music
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. tear — to rip
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mark — a trace
  22. ground — the earth
  23. sharp — clever
  24. chip — for betting

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