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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 water is too ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. object — a thing
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. object — an aim
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. object — to protest
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — there
  14. fork — in a road
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wound — an injury
  18. game — a match
  19. present — the time now
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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