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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  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. hand — help
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. kick — in football
  9. hand — in cards
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. spell — letters
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  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