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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. deal — to handle
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. clip — a video
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. branch — a division
  20. chip — to eat
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pitch — completely
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. branch — of a tree

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