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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. rash — hasty
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. row — a line
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. row — to paddle
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rash — a series

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