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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 124 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. snap — to click
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. cold — an illness
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. object — a thing
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. object — an aim
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. chip — to eat
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mine — belonging to me

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