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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. wave — with your hand
  2. net — after costs
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. clip — a video
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. kid — to tease
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chip — to eat
  12. clip — for paper
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chip — for betting
  16. clip — to cut
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. kid — child
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chip — in a computer
  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