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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 · fine · mate · lean · wind · snap · staff · pit

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. chip — to eat
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. staff — employees
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. lean — thin
  12. chip — for betting
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pit — a hole
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pit — in a race
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. fine — all right
  22. snap — to click
  23. staff — employees
  24. mate — to breed

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