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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mate — a partner
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. mate — to breed
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — in control
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. game — a match
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pound — a weight
  22. charge — a price
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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