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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: band · bore · bowl · last · rash · chip · sharp · spell

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. spell — magic
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. spell — letters
  9. last — to go on
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rash — a series
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. band — a ring
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bore — to drill
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. last — finally
  21. spell — a short time
  22. last — final
  23. bore — to tire
  24. band — a music group

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