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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. chest — a box
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. chest — of your body
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. march — music
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. can — a tin
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pitch — completely
  19. chair — a leader
  20. can — a tin
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. march — the month
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. march — the month

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