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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. can — a tin
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wound — an injury
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cap — of ice
  13. can — a tin
  14. track — a song
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — an aim
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. can — to be able to
  24. track — a path

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