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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chip — to eat
  9. rash — a series
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. chip — for betting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mate — to breed
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mate — a partner
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. saw — the tool
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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