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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 120 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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. snap — to click
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rash — hasty
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rash — a series
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mine — for digging
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chip — to eat
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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