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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. chip — for betting
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cap — of ice
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. face — to point toward
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. face — to confront
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cap — a hat
  23. snap — to click
  24. cap — a lid

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