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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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468
Word bank
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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rock — a stone
  5. mate — to breed
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rock — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. game — a match
  13. kick — in football
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mate — a friend
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — music

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