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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. band — a ring
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bass — low music
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mate — to breed
  10. shower — rain
  11. band — a music group
  12. bass — the fish
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. mate — a partner
  16. object — a thing
  17. snap — to click
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mate — a friend
  20. object — to protest
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bass — the instrument

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