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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.

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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. swing — music
  7. bat — the animal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. swing — to play on
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. scale — in music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pound — a weight
  18. scale — for weighing

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