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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. can — a tin
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. can — a tin
  7. march — music
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. fine — all right
  11. row — a line
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wound — an injury
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fork — a garden tool

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