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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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468
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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. content — happy
  6. deal — to handle
  7. game — wild animals
  8. season — of the year
  9. spring — of water
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. content — the amount
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. game — a match
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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