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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — to sink
  6. club — for golf
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. club — a group
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. ball — a great time
  14. row — to paddle
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cold — not warm
  17. row — a line
  18. cold — an illness
  19. kid — child
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. ball — a dance
  23. kid — to tease
  24. ball — a round shape

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