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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wind — moving air
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wind — moving air
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chip — to eat
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. swing — music
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. content — the amount
  21. swing — to play on
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. content — happy
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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