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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pass — a permit
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. land — to come down
  8. season — in sport
  9. land — ground
  10. prune — to trim
  11. land — a country
  12. game — a match
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. cell — a phone
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. season — of the year
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cell — in biology
  22. prune — to trim
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. season — to add flavour

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