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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: tear · mate · chip · leaves · pound · snap · last · mug

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. last — to go on
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mug — a face
  5. tear — to rip
  6. snap — to click
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mug — a cup
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. last — finally
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. tear — from crying
  22. last — final
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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