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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. net — after costs
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. game — a match
  7. rush — hurry
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bore — to drill
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cell — in a prison

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