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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rash — a series
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mug — a cup
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cold — not warm
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mug — a face
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rock — music
  21. rash — hasty
  22. game — a match
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cold — the Cold War

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