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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 120 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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. lie — to recline
  3. band — a ring
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. net — for catching
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chip — to eat
  12. rule — a law
  13. net — in sport
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chair — a leader
  18. band — a music group
  19. net — after costs
  20. rule — government
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chip — for betting
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. band — a rubber band

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