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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chip — for betting
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. roll — a cake
  6. chip — to eat
  7. scale — size or range
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mate — a partner
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mate — to breed
  12. face — to point toward
  13. roll — a list
  14. scale — in music
  15. court — of a king
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. face — to confront
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. snap — to click
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. face — part of the head

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