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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: bank · last · chip · ground · snap · lean · ball · hand

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. hand — help
  3. last — finally
  4. lean — to bend
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bank — of a river
  10. ground — the earth
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bank — for money
  15. hand — in cards
  16. last — to go on
  17. bank — for money
  18. last — final
  19. chip — to eat
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ground — a position
  22. lean — thin
  23. ground — crushed
  24. chip — for betting

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