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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wake — a trail
  3. court — of law
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chip — to eat
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. squash — to crush
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. file — a document
  11. cell — in biology
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. staff — employees
  15. court — of a king
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. squash — the sport
  18. file — a tool
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. court — for sport
  23. cell — a phone
  24. file — a line of people

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