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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. march — music
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. march — the month
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cap — a lid
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cap — of ice
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. march — the month
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. chip — to eat

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