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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. land — a country
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chip — for betting
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. land — to come down
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. shower — rain
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. squash — to crush
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. chip — to eat

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