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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cap — a hat
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. scale — in music
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. fall — to drop
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. scale — size or range
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cap — a lid
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. game — a match
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. deal — an agreement

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