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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pitch — completely
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. saw — the tool
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. current — happening now
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hand — in cards
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. hand — help
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rush — hurry
  17. current — electric
  18. snap — to click
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. current — of water
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chip — for betting

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