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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — clothes
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. net — after costs
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. hand — help
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. saw — the tool
  12. suit — in cards
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. chip — to eat
  21. hand — in cards
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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