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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. chair — a leader
  3. shower — to wash
  4. charge — a price
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. mate — a partner
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. charge — in control
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. drill — the tool
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mate — to breed
  19. drill — army training
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. drill — a practice
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. snap — to click
  24. shower — rain

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