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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. cold — an illness
  3. band — a ring
  4. cold — not warm
  5. band — a music group
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. deal — to handle
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. date — the fruit
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. safe — out of danger

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