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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. pop — soda
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. track — a song
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. cold — an illness
  12. pop — music
  13. saw — the tool
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pop — to visit
  16. squash — the sport
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cold — not warm
  21. squash — to crush
  22. track — a path
  23. saw — the tool
  24. calf — a young animal

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