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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.

Make a worksheet

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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. charge — electricity
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. charge — a price
  8. row — to paddle
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. scale — in music
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. charge — in control
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. row — a line
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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