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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. row — a line
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. lean — to bend
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. lean — thin
  11. fine — all right
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wound — an injury
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pop — music
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wind — moving air
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — with your hand

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