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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: net · cap · firm · wound · calf · snap · rest · chip

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chip — for betting
  3. firm — a company
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. firm — steady
  10. rest — a break
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. snap — to click
  16. firm — decided
  17. net — in sport
  18. rest — what's left
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. net — after costs
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cap — a hat
  23. net — for catching
  24. calf — a young animal

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