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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. file — a document
  5. present — a gift
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. present — there
  9. fine — all right
  10. snap — to click
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rash — a series
  14. present — the time now
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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