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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. sharp — clever
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bat — the animal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bank — for money
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bank — for money
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bank — of a river
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chip — to eat
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. kick — in football
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. jam — a tight spot

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