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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. ground — a position
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. shower — rain
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. mate — a friend
  8. shower — to wash
  9. ground — crushed
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mate — a partner
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ground — the earth
  24. chair — a professorship

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