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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. land — to come down
  3. chip — for betting
  4. land — a country
  5. bank — for money
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. land — ground
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bank — for money
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bank — of a river
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. cell — in biology
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cell — a phone
  24. date — on the calendar

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