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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pitch — completely
  5. swing — to play on
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. shower — to wash
  8. spring — the season
  9. shower — rain
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. swing — in golf
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. lie — to recline
  15. degree — an amount
  16. spring — of water
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. swing — music
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spring — a coil
  22. degree — from a university
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. leaves — to go away

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