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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. row — to paddle
  7. sharp — clever
  8. charge — a price
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. row — a line
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. charge — electricity
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. charge — in control
  24. mine — belonging to me

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