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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.

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: kick · game · chip · bore · fan · date · mate · wave

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — wild animals
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. game — a match
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mate — to breed
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. date — the fruit
  17. kick — in football
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. chip — for betting
  24. date — on the calendar

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