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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. vault — a safe
  3. cap — a hat
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chip — for betting
  6. mug — a face
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pound — a weight
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. scale — in music

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