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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. game — a match
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. hand — help
  10. drill — army training
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. wound — an injury
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. deal — to handle
  15. scale — in music
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. drill — the tool
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wound — an injury
  21. drill — a practice
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. scale — size or range

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