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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. chip — for betting
  3. court — of a king
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. kid — child
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pit — in a race
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. court — for sport
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. kid — to tease
  20. chip — to eat
  21. race — humankind
  22. court — of law
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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