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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. file — a line of people
  3. ball — a dance
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. cap — of ice
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cap — a lid
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cap — a hat
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ball — a round shape

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