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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: leaves · chip · sharp · last · land · bound · straw · mug

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. mug — a face
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. land — a country
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mug — a cup
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. land — ground
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. land — to come down
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — finally
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mug — to rob

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