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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. spring — of water
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rock — a stone
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. ruler — for measuring

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