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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. face — to point toward
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. tear — from crying
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. tear — to rip
  17. ground — crushed
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. club — for golf
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. club — a group
  24. wave — with your hand

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