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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. hand — help
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. lie — to recline
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. season — in sport
  24. hand — in cards

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