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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: scale · chip · cold · mine · racket · bay · mug · sharp

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mine — for digging
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mug — a face
  19. scale — in music
  20. mug — a cup
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. sharp — clever
  24. racket — a loud noise

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