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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rock — a stone
  6. ball — a great time
  7. season — in sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rock — music
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bank — for money
  14. shower — rain
  15. bank — for money
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. staff — employees
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. season — of the year
  22. bank — of a river
  23. ball — a dance
  24. staff — a stick

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