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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. plane — a tool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. row — to paddle
  6. chest — of your body
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cue — for pool
  10. degree — from a university
  11. chest — a box
  12. row — a line
  13. race — a contest
  14. field — a subject
  15. degree — temperature
  16. field — for sport
  17. race — the arms race
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cue — a signal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. race — humankind
  22. field — farmland
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. plane — an aircraft

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