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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. rock — music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bear — the animal
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bear — the animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. roll — a list
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. row — a line
  20. rest — a break
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bass — low music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. row — to paddle

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