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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fine — all right
  6. spell — magic
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. spell — letters
  15. cold — not warm
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cap — of ice
  24. chip — for betting

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