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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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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: shower · chair · chip · mine · firm · wave · game · pound

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. firm — decided
  3. mine — for digging
  4. firm — a company
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. firm — steady
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. game — wild animals
  19. shower — rain
  20. pound — a weight
  21. shower — to wash
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mine — an explosive

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