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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 116 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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. chip — to eat
  3. shower — to wash
  4. kid — child
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. chip — for betting
  7. band — a ring
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. shower — rain
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. board — a committee
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. key — in music
  21. board — to get on
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. kid — to tease
  24. band — a music group

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