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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 116 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. fall — the season
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ground — a position
  7. row — a line
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. perch — the fish
  10. row — to paddle
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. spring — a coil
  20. ground — crushed
  21. spring — of water
  22. rest — a break
  23. spring — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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