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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cap — of ice
  3. plane — a tool
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. last — final
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. last — finally
  16. hand — in cards
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. hand — help
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wind — moving air
  22. last — to go on
  23. snap — to click
  24. foot — the bottom

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