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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. tear — to rip
  3. net — in sport
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. tear — from crying
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bass — low music
  14. tear — from crying
  15. net — for catching
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. kick — in football
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. net — after costs
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bass — the fish

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