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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. file — a tool
  3. chip — to eat
  4. court — of law
  5. sharp — clever
  6. file — a line of people
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. net — for catching
  10. last — to go on
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. file — a document
  14. court — of a king
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. net — after costs
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cue — a hint
  21. last — final
  22. court — for sport
  23. net — in sport
  24. last — finally

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