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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 120 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. game — a match
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. ball — a dance
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. saw — the tool
  13. march — music
  14. deal — to handle
  15. march — the month
  16. ball — a great time
  17. march — the month
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cabinet — ministers

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