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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mug — a face
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. can — a tin
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. scale — in music
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cold — an illness
  13. can — a tin
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. hand — help
  20. saw — the tool
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. hand — in cards

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