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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cap — a lid
  4. field — a subject
  5. shower — rain
  6. cap — a hat
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. shower — to wash
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. field — farmland
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lean — to bend
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lean — thin
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. ground — a position
  22. field — for sport
  23. cap — of ice
  24. chip — for betting

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