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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. net — in sport
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bound — certain
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War

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