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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. fall — to drop
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. staff — employees
  7. fall — to drop
  8. tube — a container
  9. fall — the season
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mate — to breed
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mate — a partner
  21. staff — employees
  22. tube — the underground
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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