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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pit — a hole
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. can — a tin
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cold — not warm
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. rest — a break
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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