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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wind — moving air
  4. clip — to cut
  5. roll — a cake
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. race — a contest
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. snap — to click
  12. race — the arms race
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. clip — a video
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wind — moving air
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. race — humankind
  21. roll — a list
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. clip — for paper
  24. lie — to recline

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