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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rash — hasty
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. saw — the tool
  9. swing — music
  10. net — for catching
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. net — in sport
  14. snap — to click
  15. swing — in golf
  16. net — after costs
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rash — a series
  19. saw — the tool
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. last — final
  24. swing — to play on

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