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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pop — soda
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pop — to visit
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fine — all right
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pop — music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fine — high quality
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cap — a lid
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. game — a match
  24. cell — a phone

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