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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fine — high quality
  3. file — a line of people
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. shower — rain
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. file — a document
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. track — a path
  12. season — of the year
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. file — a tool
  16. fine — all right
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. season — in sport
  20. track — a song
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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