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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: toast · bowl · game · chip · sharp · chest · present · leaves

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. sharp — clever
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. chest — a box
  7. toast — bread
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. game — a match
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chip — to eat
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. present — the time now
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. leaves — of a tree

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