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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. field — farmland
  6. court — of law
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. lie — to recline
  11. court — for sport
  12. field — for sport
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rock — music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. tear — to rip
  18. field — a subject
  19. court — of a king
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tear — from crying

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