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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. game — a match
  5. bore — to drill
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — a cake
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. spring — of water
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cap — of ice
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. spring — the season
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wave — of the sea

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