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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. roll — a list
  5. club — for golf
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. club — for dancing
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. roll — a cake
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. spring — of water
  15. pop — music
  16. spring — a coil
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. spring — the season
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pop — soda
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. club — a group
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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