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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. saw — the tool
  4. march — music
  5. rash — a series
  6. chair — a leader
  7. hand — in cards
  8. march — the month
  9. rash — hasty
  10. suit — in cards
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. march — the month
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — clothes
  24. chip — in a computer

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