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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. staff — a stick
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mate — a partner
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. board — a committee
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. staff — employees
  14. mate — a friend
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mate — to breed
  18. staff — employees
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chip — to eat
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. board — to get on
  24. nail — for a hammer

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