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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bound — certain
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. fan — to cool the air

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