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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. pound — a weight
  10. object — to protest
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. chip — for betting
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. stock — goods
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. object — a thing

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