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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. court — for sport
  4. can — to be able to
  5. court — of law
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. degree — from a university
  15. can — a tin
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. can — a tin
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. degree — temperature

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