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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.

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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: rest · racket · lean · pitcher · chip · last · track · sharp

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. track — to keep track
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lean — thin
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — for betting
  7. rest — what's left
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rest — a break
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. track — a path
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. last — finally
  20. lean — to bend
  21. track — a song
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. last — final
  24. sharp — with an edge

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