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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bound — certain
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bound — obliged
  10. game — a match
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wound — an injury
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bear — the animal
  20. row — a line
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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