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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 116 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: race · court · spring · chip · row · bulb · sharp · fine

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bulb — for light
  3. spring — a coil
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. spring — of water
  8. court — for sport
  9. chip — for betting
  10. row — to paddle
  11. court — of law
  12. fine — all right
  13. spring — the season
  14. court — of a king
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bulb — for light
  19. sharp — clever
  20. chip — to eat
  21. race — humankind
  22. row — a line
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. race — a contest

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