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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. tear — to rip
  3. can — a tin
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. pop — soda
  7. chip — for betting
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bore — to drill
  17. game — wild animals
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pop — music
  20. game — a match
  21. tear — from crying
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. tear — from crying
  24. game — a kind of play

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