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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rule — government
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. season — of the year
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. cue — for pool
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cue — a hint
  15. rule — a law
  16. chip — to eat
  17. capital — money
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. season — in sport
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. cue — a signal

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