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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ball — a great time
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bat — the animal
  14. staff — a stick
  15. ball — a dance
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. chip — for betting
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fan — a supporter

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