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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rock — music
  9. deal — to handle
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. game — a match
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. tube — a container
  16. content — happy
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. content — the amount
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rock — a stone
  24. pitcher — a jug

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