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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.

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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: wave · board · kid · present · chest · roll · chip · nail

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. roll — a cake
  5. kid — to tease
  6. present — there
  7. chest — of your body
  8. board — to get on
  9. chip — for betting
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. board — a committee
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chest — of your body
  18. present — a gift
  19. kid — child
  20. chip — to eat
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. present — the time now
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. roll — a list

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