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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 116 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: pit · chip · sharp · hide · snap · current · cue · mouse

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. current — happening now
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. snap — to click
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. current — electric
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cue — for pool
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cue — a signal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. cue — a hint
  16. chip — to eat
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pit — in a race
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. current — of water
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. sharp — exactly

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