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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wind — moving air
  4. race — a contest
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wind — moving air
  10. net — after costs
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rest — a break
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. deal — to handle
  17. race — humankind
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. net — for catching
  20. rest — what's left
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. net — in sport

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