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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. can — a tin
  4. ground — a position
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. ground — the earth
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ball — a great time
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ground — crushed
  20. can — to be able to
  21. squash — to crush
  22. can — a tin
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. straw — dry grass

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