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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. game — wild animals
  5. shower — rain
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. object — to protest
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. object — an aim
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. object — a thing
  17. file — a document
  18. perch — the fish
  19. ball — a dance
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. game — a match
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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