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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pop — music
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rash — a series
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. mug — to rob
  12. can — a tin
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pop — soda
  17. wound — an injury
  18. can — to be able to
  19. chip — for betting
  20. mug — a face
  21. bound — certain
  22. mug — a cup
  23. can — a tin
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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