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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 124 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. last — finally
  4. press — to push
  5. last — to go on
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wake — a trail
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. press — a publisher
  12. clip — to cut
  13. saw — the tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. clip — for paper
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. club — for golf
  20. saw — the tool
  21. club — a group
  22. last — final
  23. clip — a video
  24. wake — before a funeral

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