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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ground — a position
  4. dip — to sink
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. scale — in music
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. game — a match
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. charge — in control
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. ground — crushed
  15. charge — electricity
  16. scale — size or range
  17. charge — a price
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ground — the earth
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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