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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. land — ground
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. scale — size or range
  9. land — a country
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fine — high quality
  12. degree — from a university
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. fine — all right
  16. land — to come down
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. sharp — clever
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wound — an injury
  21. scale — in music
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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