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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cap — a hat
  8. capital — money
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pop — to visit
  11. land — a country
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pop — soda
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a list
  17. pop — music
  18. land — ground
  19. scale — in music
  20. cap — of ice
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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