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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. tear — to rip
  6. game — a match
  7. band — a ring
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. band — a music group
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. game — wild animals
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bear — the animal

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