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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. saw — the tool
  7. court — of law
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chip — to eat
  10. race — a contest
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. race — humankind
  15. court — of a king
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. season — in sport
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. race — the arms race
  22. court — for sport
  23. rock — a stone
  24. season — of the year

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