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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. net — in sport
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. hand — help
  8. ball — a great time
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mate — a partner
  15. net — after costs
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. snap — to click
  19. net — for catching
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mate — a friend
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mate — to breed
  24. ball — a round shape

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