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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. chip — to eat
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mate — a partner
  20. tear — to rip
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mate — to breed
  24. kid — child

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