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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. shower — to wash
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. present — the time now
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. chip — for betting
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rock — music
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. chip — to eat
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bat — the animal
  20. present — a gift
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. shower — rain
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bat — in an idiom

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