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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. ground — a position
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. ground — crushed
  9. shower — rain
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — a signal
  12. ball — a great time
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spring — of water
  18. cue — for pool
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ground — the earth
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. ball — a round shape
  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