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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. rest — a break
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. drill — army training
  8. face — part of the head
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rash — hasty
  12. face — to point toward
  13. degree — from a university
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. face — to confront
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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