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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. charge — in control
  3. can — a tin
  4. mate — a partner
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bass — low music
  7. mate — a friend
  8. charge — a price
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. can — a tin
  16. fork — in a road
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. charge — electricity
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wound — an injury
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fork — to eat with

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