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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. last — final
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chip — to eat
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. court — for sport
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. chip — for betting
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. snap — to click
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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