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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bore — to tire
  4. kick — in football
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. chip — for betting
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. ball — a dance
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. game — a match
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bore — to drill
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ball — a great time
  24. 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