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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wind — moving air
  3. snap — to click
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wind — moving air
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cell — a phone
  21. date — the fruit
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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