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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. club — for golf
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. branch — a division
  8. chip — to eat
  9. last — final
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. last — to go on
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. deal — to handle
  14. club — a group
  15. chip — for betting
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. land — a country
  18. land — ground
  19. club — for dancing
  20. land — to come down
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. last — finally
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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