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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: mug · swing · chip · face · cold · wind · foot · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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. chip — in a computer
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wind — moving air
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. swing — music
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wind — moving air
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mug — to rob
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. chip — for betting
  18. snap — to click
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mug — a face
  24. face — to confront

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