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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. last — finally
  5. chip — to eat
  6. shower — rain
  7. last — to go on
  8. bound — certain
  9. ball — a great time
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. ball — a dance
  12. staff — employees
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. staff — a stick
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pop — soda
  18. snap — to click
  19. bound — obliged
  20. staff — employees
  21. last — final
  22. chip — for betting
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bound — tied together

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