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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: cold · snap · stand · mark · cell · club · chip · key

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. snap — to click
  3. mark — a trace
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chip — for betting
  8. club — for dancing
  9. key — in music
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cold — not warm
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cell — in biology
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mark — a grade
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. stand — to bear
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cold — an illness

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