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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. snap — to click
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fall — to drop
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. chip — for betting
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. spell — letters
  13. chip — to eat
  14. fall — the season
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. spell — magic
  18. mine — for digging
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spell — a short time
  24. net — in sport

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