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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. chip — for betting
  6. mug — a cup
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mine — for digging
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mug — a face
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mug — to rob
  16. snap — to click
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rest — a break

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