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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. game — a match
  7. file — a document
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. content — happy
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. file — a line of people
  14. game — wild animals
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. spell — letters
  17. file — a tool
  18. content — the amount
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. spell — magic

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