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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 rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. present — there
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. shower — rain
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. club — a group
  15. present — a gift
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. club — for dancing
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. present — the time now
  24. chip — for betting

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