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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. firm — decided
  7. cold — not warm
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. swing — in golf
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. swing — music
  16. degree — temperature
  17. firm — a company
  18. cell — a phone
  19. firm — steady
  20. cold — an illness
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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