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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. scale — size or range
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wax — to grow
  12. scale — in music
  13. chip — to eat
  14. game — a match
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. current — of water
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chip — for betting
  20. current — electric
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. current — happening now
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. snap — to click

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