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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. spring — of water
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cold — an illness
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cold — not warm
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. row — a line
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. spring — the season
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cabinet — ministers

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