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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pit — in a race
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. craft — boats
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wake — a trail
  8. chip — to eat
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pit — a hole
  11. snap — to click
  12. mark — a trace
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. craft — a skill
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chip — for betting
  23. hand — help
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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