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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.

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

Word bank: vault · squash · hand · tear · wave · chip · straw · sharp

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. tear — to rip
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. vault — a safe
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. hand — in cards
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hand — help
  17. squash — to crush
  18. chip — for betting
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. squash — the sport
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. straw — a straw man
  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