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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. can — a tin
  4. march — music
  5. can — a tin
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chip — to eat
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. row — a line
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. march — the month
  13. cell — in biology
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. can — to be able to
  16. sharp — clever
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. snap — to click
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. march — the month
  24. chip — for betting

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