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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. last — final
  5. hand — in cards
  6. last — finally
  7. degree — temperature
  8. club — a group
  9. wax — to grow
  10. degree — an amount
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. club — for golf
  18. last — to go on
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. hand — help
  22. degree — from a university
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wave — of the sea

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