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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 116 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. scale — size or range
  3. last — final
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. charge — a price
  8. last — to go on
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. present — a gift
  11. file — a tool
  12. last — finally
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. land — a country
  16. scale — in music
  17. land — ground
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. present — there
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. land — to come down
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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