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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chip — to eat
  11. last — final
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bound — tied together
  17. last — finally
  18. tube — a container
  19. last — to go on
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bound — certain
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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