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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bass — low music
  7. snap — to click
  8. bass — the fish
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. present — the time now
  18. chip — to eat
  19. present — there
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cap — of ice
  23. chip — for betting
  24. present — a gift

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