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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. chip — for betting
  7. prune — to trim
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chip — to eat
  11. snap — to click
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. last — finally
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. last — final
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. last — to go on
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. chair — a leader

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