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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wake — a trail
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. chip — for betting
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chip — to eat
  19. present — there
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. tear — to rip

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