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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. game — a match
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. snap — to click
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. rash — a series
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. scale — size or range
  16. rock — a stone
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. scale — in music
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rash — hasty
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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