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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — low music
  7. court — of law
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. spell — magic
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cell — in biology
  15. court — for sport
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. court — of a king
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — a phone
  24. spell — a short time

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