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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. cell — in biology
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mine — for digging
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cold — an illness
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bass — low music
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cold — not warm
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bass — the fish
  22. cell — a phone
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mine — belonging to me

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