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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. game — a match
  3. branch — a division
  4. pop — music
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wound — an injury
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wound — an injury
  12. track — a path
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. track — a song
  16. snap — to click
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pop — soda
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. branch — of a tree

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