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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. mug — a face
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bass — the fish
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. clip — a video
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mug — to rob
  18. clip — to cut
  19. net — for catching
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. cap — a hat

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