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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. roll — a cake
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pop — soda
  9. kick — in football
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pop — music
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. roll — a list
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. lash — to lash out

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