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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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. object — a thing
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. net — for catching
  4. rash — hasty
  5. face — part of the head
  6. object — to protest
  7. net — after costs
  8. cold — an illness
  9. spell — letters
  10. face — to confront
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. object — an aim
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. spell — magic
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. net — in sport
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cold — not warm
  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