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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mark — a trace
  9. rest — a break
  10. file — a tool
  11. scale — in music
  12. file — a document
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. file — a line of people
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mark — a grade
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. spell — a short time
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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