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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 120 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. chip — for betting
  3. mug — a cup
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. swing — music
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mine — for digging
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. mug — a face
  14. land — ground
  15. snap — to click
  16. mug — to rob
  17. swing — in golf
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — high quality
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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