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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. last — finally
  3. pitch — completely
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. snap — to click
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. last — final
  9. rule — a law
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. land — a country
  13. craft — boats
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rule — government
  17. land — to come down
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. land — ground
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. last — to go on

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