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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. suit — in cards
  3. present — there
  4. row — to paddle
  5. suit — to fit
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. game — a match
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. march — the month
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wind — moving air
  13. march — music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. game — wild animals
  16. present — a gift
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. suit — clothes
  19. deal — to handle
  20. march — the month
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. present — the time now
  24. row — a line

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