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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. net — after costs
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. game — a match
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. object — an aim
  17. swing — in golf
  18. object — a thing
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. net — for catching
  21. swing — music
  22. game — wild animals
  23. object — to protest
  24. bay — a horse colour

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