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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. game — wild animals
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. squash — the sport
  5. scale — size or range
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. game — a match
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chip — for betting
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. squash — to crush
  24. scale — in music

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