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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. kick — in football
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. spring — a coil
  13. capital — money
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — a list
  17. capital — a city
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. court — of law
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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