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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: snap · board · mug · game · last · sharp · spring · chair

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. spring — a coil
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. board — a committee
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. spring — the season
  13. chair — a leader
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mug — to rob
  18. spring — of water
  19. mug — a cup
  20. game — a match
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mug — a face
  23. board — to get on
  24. last — to go on

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