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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: lie · club · wave · pit · tube · chip · roll · snap

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. chip — for betting
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. roll — a cake
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. club — for golf
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. club — for dancing
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pit — a hole
  17. roll — a list
  18. snap — to click
  19. tube — a container
  20. chip — to eat
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. club — a group
  24. pit — in a race

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