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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. net — in sport
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cap — a lid
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cap — of ice
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rash — a series
  14. net — for catching
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. snap — to click
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. drill — army training
  22. net — after costs
  23. rash — hasty
  24. drill — the tool

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