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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 116 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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bat — the animal
  6. swing — music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. band — a music group
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cap — a lid
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cap — of ice
  23. band — a ring
  24. chip — for betting

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