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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bound — certain
  8. season — in sport
  9. game — a match
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. season — of the year
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. game — wild animals
  19. snap — to click
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bound — obliged
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rash — a series
  24. wave — with your hand

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