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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pop — soda
  6. file — a line of people
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. file — a document
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. game — a match
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bass — the fish
  18. file — a tool
  19. pop — to visit
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pop — music
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bound — certain

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