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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: chip · fine · wave · mine · calf · bat · present · pound

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chip — to eat
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. present — a gift
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. present — there
  18. present — the time now
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. calf — a young animal

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