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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pound — a weight
  4. squash — the sport
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. object — to protest
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. object — an aim
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. squash — to crush
  24. chip — to eat

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