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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: pit · mine · club · snap · ball · jam · kick · chip

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pit — in a race
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. kick — in football
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mine — for digging
  12. ball — a great time
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. club — for golf
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pit — a hole
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. club — a group
  24. chip — to eat

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