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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mug — to rob
  3. staff — employees
  4. cold — not warm
  5. chip — to eat
  6. band — a ring
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. staff — a stick
  10. snap — to click
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. band — a music group
  13. mug — a cup
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rock — music
  17. staff — employees
  18. mug — a face
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cold — an illness
  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