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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. hand — help
  9. row — to paddle
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. lean — thin
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lean — to bend
  15. row — a line
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. scale — size or range
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. scale — in music

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