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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. file — a line of people
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. file — a document
  13. game — a match
  14. file — a tool
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cap — a lid
  17. march — the month
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bulb — for light
  20. march — music
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cap — a hat
  23. march — the month
  24. wave — with your hand

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