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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 · sharp · staff · cap · fall · swing · mark · snap

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. staff — employees
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. staff — employees
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mark — a trace
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chip — for betting
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cap — of ice
  17. snap — to click
  18. fall — the season
  19. swing — music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fall — to drop
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. staff — a stick

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