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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. spell — letters
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. spell — magic
  7. mark — a grade
  8. track — a path
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cue — a hint
  11. track — to keep track
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cue — a signal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spell — a short time
  22. track — a song
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mark — to pay attention

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