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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 120 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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. club — a group
  14. scale — in music
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cap — a lid
  18. net — after costs
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. club — for golf

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