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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 · row · bound · mate · game · snap · rest · lash

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bound — obliged
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. snap — to click
  9. chip — to eat
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. game — a match
  15. bound — certain
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rest — a break
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mate — to breed
  22. row — a line
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rest — what's left

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