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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. scale — size or range
  3. firm — a company
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. field — for sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. field — a subject
  12. firm — steady
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. fork — in a road
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. snap — to click
  21. firm — decided
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. field — farmland

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