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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. rock — music
  4. rest — a break
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to click
  8. can — a tin
  9. rest — what's left
  10. tear — from crying
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rock — a stone
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rest — what's left
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — part of the body

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