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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bore — to tire
  7. spell — magic
  8. bore — to drill
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chip — for betting
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. spell — letters
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bowl — to roll

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