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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: mine · bore · sharp · court · temple · chip · net · mark

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. net — after costs
  3. bore — to drill
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. sharp — clever
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. chip — for betting
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. net — in sport
  14. mark — a grade
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. court — of law
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bore — to tire
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. net — for catching

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