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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. hand — help
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chest — a box
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fall — the season
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hand — in cards

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