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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. spring — of water
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. wound — an injury
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — a match
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rule — government
  21. kid — child
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wave — with your hand

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