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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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Word bank
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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: chip · coach · pop · fan · rash · hand · kick · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rash — a series
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chip — for betting
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pop — soda
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. snap — to click
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hand — help
  17. pop — music
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. pop — to visit
  24. chip — in a computer

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