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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: row · mine · sharp · court · dip · chip · object · pass

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. court — for sport
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. object — an aim
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. chip — to eat
  12. object — a thing
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mine — for digging
  15. court — of law
  16. pass — a permit
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. court — of a king
  22. object — to protest
  23. chip — for betting
  24. row — a line

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