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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. craft — boats
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. cue — a hint
  6. tube — the underground
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. chip — for betting
  11. cue — for pool
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cue — a signal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. tube — a container
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. snap — to click
  20. craft — a skill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. chip — to eat

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