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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. game — a match
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. hand — in cards
  7. scale — in music
  8. stock — shares
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — a company
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. stock — goods
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. firm — steady
  18. hand — help
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. game — wild animals

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