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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 124 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cap — a hat
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cap — a lid
  9. current — of water
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. kid — child
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. current — electric
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. current — happening now
  23. kid — to tease
  24. coach — a trainer

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