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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. field — for sport
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. clip — to cut
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. field — a subject
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. clip — a video
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. clip — for paper
  20. field — farmland
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — a series
  24. mouse — the animal

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