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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. race — a contest
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. race — the arms race
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mark — a trace
  10. race — humankind
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. snap — to click
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. staff — employees
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mark — a grade
  22. net — for catching
  23. staff — employees
  24. net — after costs

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