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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chip — to eat
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chair — a leader
  7. snap — to click
  8. wake — a trail
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. scale — size or range
  11. object — to protest
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. season — of the year
  18. object — an aim
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. land — a country
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. object — a thing
  24. scale — in music

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