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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 124 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mug — a face
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pass — a permit
  12. ground — a position
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chip — to eat
  22. snap — to click
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mug — a cup

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