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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: chip · dip · can · cue · stick · rest · staff · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. staff — employees
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cue — a hint
  9. can — a tin
  10. cue — a signal
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cue — for pool
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. can — a tin
  15. staff — a stick
  16. dip — to sink
  17. staff — employees
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. can — to be able to
  21. rest — what's left
  22. chip — for betting
  23. snap — to click
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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