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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. suit — to fit
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. file — a tool
  7. land — to come down
  8. file — a line of people
  9. land — a country
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rest — what's left
  13. land — ground
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. suit — in cards
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. file — a document
  22. pass — a permit
  23. suit — clothes
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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