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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — happening now
  9. cue — a signal
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bass — low music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. plane — a tool
  16. current — of water
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cold — not warm
  23. current — electric
  24. bass — the fish

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