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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. band — a ring
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pass — a permit
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. kid — to tease
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. kid — child
  24. band — a music group

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