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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. hand — in cards
  3. spell — a short time
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. spell — magic
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — a city
  9. club — for golf
  10. chip — to eat
  11. hand — help
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. spell — letters
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. club — for dancing
  17. tube — a container
  18. club — a group
  19. capital — money
  20. tube — the underground
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. prune — the fruit

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