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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: race · jam · spring · pitcher · chip · sharp · ground · plane

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. spring — a coil
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. chip — for betting
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — the arms race
  11. ground — the earth
  12. sharp — clever
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. spring — the season
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. race — a contest
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. race — humankind
  20. ground — crushed
  21. plane — a tool
  22. ground — a position
  23. chip — to eat
  24. plane — an aircraft

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