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

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pass — a permit
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. fork — in a road
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mine — an explosive

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