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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. chip — for betting
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. rest — a break
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rest — what's left
  23. sharp — clever
  24. chip — to eat

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