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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. fine — all right
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. scale — size or range
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wind — moving air
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. scale — in music
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rest — a break
  22. clip — a video
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fine — high quality

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