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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wake — a trail
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. capital — money
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. present — the time now
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. present — there
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. capital — a city
  20. present — a gift
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. kick — in football

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