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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. game — a match
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. game — wild animals
  9. board — a committee
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. board — to get on
  14. foot — a measure
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rule — a law
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rule — government

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