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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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 click
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chip — to eat
  5. land — ground
  6. band — a music group
  7. cap — a lid
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rock — music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. land — to come down
  16. band — a ring
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. track — a song
  21. land — a country
  22. cap — a hat
  23. track — a path
  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