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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. race — a contest
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. ball — a dance
  13. race — humankind
  14. charge — in control
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rash — hasty
  18. charge — electricity
  19. race — the arms race
  20. charge — a price
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fall — to drop

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