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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. kid — child
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pound — a weight
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — crushed
  13. last — final
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mate — a partner
  16. kid — to tease
  17. last — finally
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. last — to go on
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. ground — the earth

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