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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. chip — to eat
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mug — a cup
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chip — for betting
  14. band — a ring
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. band — a music group
  21. spring — of water
  22. game — a match
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mug — to rob

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