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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · toast · fan · chip · pit · bore · sharp · wound

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. toast — bread
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bore — to drill
  17. sharp — clever
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. pit — in a race
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. chip — for betting
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chip — to eat

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