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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 120 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: stick · rash · wound · chip · cap · game · sharp · board

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. game — wild animals
  13. wound — an injury
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rash — a series
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. sharp — clever
  20. game — a match
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. board — a committee
  24. chip — for betting

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