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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. rest — what's left
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — low music
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rest — a break
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rest — what's left
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — a match
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bass — the instrument

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