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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. degree — from a university
  3. snap — to click
  4. chip — to eat
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. court — of a king
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. degree — temperature
  13. court — of law
  14. bat — the animal
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — government
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. degree — an amount
  20. chip — for betting
  21. court — for sport
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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