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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: pitcher · sharp · game · lean · chip · leaves · mine · deal

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. lean — thin
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. sharp — clever
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. chip — for betting
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mine — for digging
  13. game — a match
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. game — wild animals

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