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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. hand — help
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. chip — to eat
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. degree — from a university
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. hand — in cards
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. degree — an amount
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. chip — for betting

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