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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. firm — steady
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. snap — to click
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rule — government
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. firm — a company
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. firm — decided
  19. chip — to eat
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wake — a trail
  22. squash — the sport
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. rule — a law

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