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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. present — there
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fall — the season
  22. degree — an amount
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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