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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — to eat
  3. spell — letters
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. board — a committee
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. squash — to crush
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. squash — the sport
  13. board — to get on
  14. spell — a short time
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spell — magic
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. face — part of the head
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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