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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. net — for catching
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. net — after costs
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. net — in sport
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. date — the fruit
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. straw — a straw man

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