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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bound — certain
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mouse — for a computer

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