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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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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: kid · sharp · trunk · snap · wave · chip · ball · mate

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mate — a partner
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. snap — to click
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ball — a great time
  19. sharp — clever
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chip — for betting
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. kid — child
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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