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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wound — an injury
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. present — there
  6. chip — to eat
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wound — an injury
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. band — a ring
  16. present — a gift
  17. band — a music group
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. present — the time now

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