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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: land · chair · bore · chip · snap · rest · cap · last

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. cap — a hat
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. land — a country
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. land — ground
  10. cap — of ice
  11. land — to come down
  12. snap — to click
  13. last — finally
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cap — a lid
  16. last — to go on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. last — final
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bore — to tire
  24. chair — a leader

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