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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bark — to shout
  7. race — humankind
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bat — the animal
  10. band — a ring
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. band — a music group
  14. clip — a video
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mug — a face
  19. race — a contest
  20. clip — to cut
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. clip — for paper

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