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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mate — a friend
  3. ground — a position
  4. spell — magic
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. ground — crushed
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mate — a partner
  13. shower — rain
  14. mark — a grade
  15. staff — employees
  16. spell — a short time
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mate — to breed
  20. staff — employees
  21. ground — the earth
  22. file — a line of people
  23. spell — letters
  24. mark — to pay attention

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