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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. vault — a safe
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. march — the month
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. last — finally
  18. march — music
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. last — final
  22. march — the month
  23. last — to go on
  24. leaves — of a tree

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