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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rest — what's left
  4. club — a group
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. club — for dancing
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. rest — a break
  14. clip — for paper
  15. club — for golf
  16. game — a match
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. court — of a king
  19. pass — a permit
  20. clip — a video
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pass — to spend time

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