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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: sharp · mate · bound · chip · fall · march · mine · hide

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bound — certain
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. march — music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fall — to drop
  9. march — the month
  10. mate — to breed
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fall — the season
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bound — tied together
  16. chip — for betting
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mate — a partner
  22. march — the month
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mine — belonging to me

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