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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. mug — a cup
  3. fine — high quality
  4. ball — a great time
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fine — all right
  7. court — of law
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. court — for sport
  13. degree — from a university
  14. season — in sport
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mug — a face
  19. season — of the year
  20. mug — to rob
  21. last — final
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. court — of a king

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