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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. rash — hasty
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. spell — magic
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. rash — a series
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. can — a tin
  16. spell — letters
  17. can — a tin
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bat — the animal
  21. can — to be able to
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bass — low music

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