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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. row — a line
  6. game — a match
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. game — wild animals
  11. staff — employees
  12. saw — the tool
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cell — a phone
  21. staff — a stick
  22. row — to paddle
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. staff — employees

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