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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. stem — to come from
  14. fine — all right
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mine — for digging
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rush — hurry

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