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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. kid — child
  6. net — for catching
  7. vault — a safe
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mine — for digging
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. kid — to tease
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. perch — the fish
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. clip — a video

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