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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. object — a thing
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. ground — crushed
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. object — an aim
  15. fall — the season
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fall — to drop
  18. snap — to click
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. object — to protest
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fall — to drop

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