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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — for betting
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. rash — hasty
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. rash — a series
  14. shower — rain
  15. squash — to crush
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wave — of the sea

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