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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 120 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: land · mouse · snap · deal · cap · cell · pound · sharp

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. land — to come down
  3. cap — of ice
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cell — in biology
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. cell — a phone
  12. deal — to handle
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cap — a hat
  15. land — a country
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. land — ground
  24. sharp — clever

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