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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rash — a series
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. toast — bread
  9. rash — hasty
  10. shower — rain
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fall — the season
  15. shower — to wash
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. kick — in football
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. capital — money

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