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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pop — music
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rush — hurry
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pop — soda
  16. wind — moving air
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wave — with your hand

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