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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fine — all right
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. rush — hurry
  19. file — a document
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hand — help
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. file — a tool
  24. pound — for dogs

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