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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cell — a phone
  6. snap — to click
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mark — a grade
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. spring — of water
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. chip — to eat
  16. spring — the season
  17. cold — an illness
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. spring — a coil
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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