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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — an aim
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fall — the season
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. last — finally
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pop — music
  17. last — final
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. object — a thing
  22. chip — to eat
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pop — soda

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