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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fine — all right
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. rush — hurry
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bulb — for light
  9. land — to come down
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a dance
  12. fine — high quality
  13. land — ground
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. land — a country
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. chip — in a computer

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