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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bear — the animal
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mine — for digging
  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