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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. squash — to crush
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. chip — for betting
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. face — to confront
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stand — to bear
  20. sharp — clever
  21. squash — the sport
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. stand — for spectators

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