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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wave · suit · march · net · tube · chip · game · tear

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. suit — clothes
  3. tear — from crying
  4. suit — to fit
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. net — after costs
  7. march — the month
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. game — wild animals
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chip — to eat
  13. suit — in cards
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. net — for catching
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. chip — for betting
  18. march — the month
  19. tube — a container
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. march — music
  22. tube — the underground
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. net — in sport

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