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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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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: net · pop · snap · land · ruler · chip · spring · chest

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chest — a box
  4. pop — to visit
  5. land — ground
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. land — a country
  8. snap — to click
  9. spring — a coil
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. spring — the season
  12. net — after costs
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. land — to come down
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pop — soda
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pop — music
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chip — to eat
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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