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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chest — a box
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. face — part of the head
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. key — for a lock
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chest — of your body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — help
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. face — to confront
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wave — with your hand

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