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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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468
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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 laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. chip — for betting
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. swing — in golf
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chest — a box
  9. sharp — clever
  10. kick — in football
  11. snap — to click
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. swing — music
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wax — to grow
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. swing — to play on
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  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