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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. scale — in music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. drill — army training
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. drill — a practice

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