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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. lie — to recline
  4. charge — a price
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. snap — to click
  14. charge — electricity
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. chip — for betting
  21. charge — in control
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mine — for digging

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