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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. band — a ring
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. file — a document
  6. club — for dancing
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. object — an aim
  11. club — a group
  12. object — a thing
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. file — a tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rash — hasty
  20. club — for golf
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. file — a line of people

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