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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. track — to keep track
  3. snap — to click
  4. drill — a practice
  5. staff — a stick
  6. track — a path
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. prune — to trim
  12. staff — employees
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. prune — to trim
  15. drill — army training
  16. track — a song
  17. chip — to eat
  18. staff — employees
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. drill — the tool
  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