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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 124 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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. band — a ring
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. band — a music group
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wake — a trail
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. toast — bread
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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