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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. court — of law
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. cue — a signal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. court — for sport
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. court — of a king
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rush — hurry
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cue — for pool
  20. scale — size or range
  21. cold — an illness
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. cold — not warm

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