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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 124 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cold — an illness
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wound — an injury
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. vault — a safe
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cold — not warm
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wound — an injury

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