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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: bound · lash · charge · straw · net · chip · fine · snap

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bound — certain
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. net — in sport
  5. snap — to click
  6. fine — all right
  7. chip — for betting
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. net — after costs
  13. chip — to eat
  14. charge — electricity
  15. bound — obliged
  16. net — for catching
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fine — high quality
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — a price
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fine — a penalty

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