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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. scale — size or range
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chip — for betting
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stem — to come from
  8. snap — to click
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bound — certain
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bound — obliged
  13. chip — to eat
  14. scale — in music
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bound — tied together
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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