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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a face
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. file — a document
  7. spell — letters
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. degree — an amount
  15. file — a tool
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mug — a cup
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pound — a weight
  23. spell — magic
  24. hide — animal skin

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