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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. season — of the year
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. dip — to sink
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rash — a series
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. chip — for betting
  21. season — in sport
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. rash — hasty

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