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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. pit — a hole
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. suit — to fit
  6. chip — for betting
  7. suit — in cards
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. face — part of the head
  11. land — to come down
  12. face — to point toward
  13. lean — thin
  14. face — to confront
  15. pit — in a race
  16. land — ground
  17. snap — to click
  18. chip — to eat
  19. lean — to bend
  20. land — a country
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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