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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mark — a trace
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. chair — a leader
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bass — low music
  17. rule — government
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. mark — a grade
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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