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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. race — the arms race
  6. rush — hurry
  7. deal — to handle
  8. clip — for paper
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. clip — to cut
  11. squash — the sport
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. track — a path
  16. race — humankind
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. clip — a video
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. race — a contest
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. squash — to crush

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