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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pop — soda
  3. fine — all right
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. cold — an illness
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. pop — to visit
  13. key — in music
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pop — music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. key — the most important part
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. fine — high quality

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