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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ball — a dance
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mate — a friend
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bound — tied together
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ball — a great time
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bound — certain
  24. wind — moving air

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