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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 116 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. game — wild animals
  5. track — a path
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. tear — to rip
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. squash — to crush
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stand — to bear
  13. hand — in cards
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. track — a song
  17. tear — from crying
  18. game — a match
  19. track — to keep track
  20. hand — help
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. land — to come down
  24. hand — part of the body

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