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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wound — an injury
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. firm — decided
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. firm — a company
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chip — for betting
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. ball — a dance
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ball — a great time
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cold — not warm
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. firm — steady
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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