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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. chip — for betting
  2. cold — an illness
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bound — certain
  5. last — final
  6. bound — obliged
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pit — a hole
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. pit — in a race
  11. snap — to click
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bound — tied together
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  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