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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · rule · chip · toast · cell · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. toast — bread
  3. rule — government
  4. snap — to click
  5. cell — a phone
  6. chip — to eat
  7. rule — a law
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. cell — in biology
  16. chip — for betting
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rule — to rule out

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