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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. swing — to play on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cell — a phone
  11. shower — to wash
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. charge — a price
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. charge — in control
  20. fall — the season
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wound — an injury
  24. charge — electricity

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