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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: chip · mine · calf · rock · sharp · ground · fall · spell

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spell — letters
  7. fall — the season
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rock — music
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — a position
  20. mine — for digging
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rock — a stone
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. sharp — clever

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