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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rash — a series
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. land — ground
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. land — a country
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. land — to come down
  24. trunk — of a car

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