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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rush — hurry
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. drill — army training
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. spring — of water
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spring — the season
  19. game — a match
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. chest — a box
  23. stand — to bear
  24. chest — of your body

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