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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. present — a gift
  3. capital — a city
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. chip — to eat
  12. present — the time now
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bound — certain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bound — tied together
  19. shower — rain
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. shower — to wash
  23. capital — money
  24. present — there

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