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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. snap — to click
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. kid — to tease
  6. chip — to eat
  7. court — for sport
  8. land — to come down
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. land — ground
  11. roll — a cake
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. chip — for betting
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. pass — a permit
  22. kid — child
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. land — a country

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