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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. key — for a lock
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. key — the most important part
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. board — a committee
  11. key — in music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. season — of the year
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. season — in sport
  24. chip — for betting

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