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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. race — humankind
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bear — the animal
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. race — a contest
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chip — for betting
  14. lie — to recline
  15. race — the arms race
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. sharp — clever
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bear — the animal

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