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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. last — final
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. last — to go on
  7. cue — a signal
  8. chip — to eat
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. cue — a hint
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chip — for betting
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. last — finally
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. snap — to click
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cue — for pool

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