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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 124 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. roll — a cake
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. suit — clothes
  10. rash — hasty
  11. file — a document
  12. cold — not warm
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cold — an illness
  15. roll — a list
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. suit — in cards
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. rash — a series
  22. suit — to fit
  23. file — a tool
  24. roll — on a roll

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