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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. game — wild animals
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rash — a series
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rash — hasty
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. game — a match

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