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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chip — to eat
  6. snap — to click
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. row — a line
  10. wake — a trail
  11. chip — for betting
  12. suit — clothes
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. suit — in cards
  15. field — a subject
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. field — farmland
  18. scale — in music
  19. field — for sport
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wind — moving air
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. suit — to fit

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