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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. game — wild animals
  5. prune — to trim
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. last — finally
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. face — to confront
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cue — a signal
  15. game — a match
  16. last — to go on
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. last — final
  23. saw — the tool
  24. dip — to sink

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