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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bound — certain
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bound — tied together
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bound — obliged
  8. face — part of the head
  9. last — final
  10. file — a tool
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. file — a document
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — to point toward
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. last — finally
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. file — a line of people
  23. last — to go on
  24. face — to confront

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