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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mug — a face
  3. row — a line
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. clip — to cut
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. clip — a video
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. clip — for paper
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. kid — to tease
  18. dip — to sink
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. kid — child
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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