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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. game — a match
  3. cap — a hat
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rest — a break
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. drill — army training
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wave — 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