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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. clip — to cut
  3. last — final
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. clip — a video
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pit — a hole
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. last — to go on
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. last — finally
  22. rash — a series
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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