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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mug — a face
  5. ball — a great time
  6. shower — rain
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mug — to rob
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mug — a cup
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. ball — a dance
  17. hand — in cards
  18. key — in music
  19. mate — to breed
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. shower — to wash

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