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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. fine — high quality
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pit — in a race
  7. spring — of water
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. fine — all right
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bat — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wind — moving air
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pit — a hole
  22. spring — the season
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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