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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. plane — a tool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — to wash
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. shower — rain
  12. tear — from crying
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stand — to bear
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. racket — a loud noise

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