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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. track — a path
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. track — to keep track
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. object — an aim
  9. season — in sport
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cold — an illness
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. clip — a video
  17. object — a thing
  18. season — of the year
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — the time now
  21. object — to protest
  22. track — a song
  23. present — there
  24. clip — to cut

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