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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: chip · bear · bass · snap · cap · nail · present · last

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. last — to go on
  4. cap — of ice
  5. present — there
  6. chip — to eat
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. present — the time now
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bear — the animal
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. present — a gift
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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