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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. content — the amount
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. fall — to drop
  6. can — a tin
  7. race — a contest
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. field — for sport
  10. race — humankind
  11. fall — to drop
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. fall — the season
  14. chair — a leader
  15. can — a tin
  16. race — the arms race
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. field — farmland
  19. can — to be able to
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. field — a subject
  24. content — happy

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