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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. wave — of the sea
  2. ground — crushed
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wake — a trail
  5. spell — magic
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. rash — hasty
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rash — a series
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ground — a position
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. vault — a safe
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  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