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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. season — of the year
  3. plane — a tool
  4. game — a match
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. season — in sport
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. file — a line of people
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. file — a tool
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. file — a document
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. ball — a dance
  24. game — a kind of play

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