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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bass — low music
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. file — a document
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. land — a country
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. file — a line of people
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bass — the fish
  19. vault — a safe
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. file — a tool
  22. scale — in music
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. suit — clothes

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