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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
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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: prune · plane · court · mine · chip · fan · sharp · march

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. prune — to trim
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. prune — to trim
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. march — music
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. chip — to eat
  13. march — the month
  14. sharp — clever
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. court — of law
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — an explosive

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