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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 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. capital — a city
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — for pool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cue — a signal
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. capital — money
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. spell — a short time
  24. clip — for paper

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