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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. season — of the year
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bound — certain
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bound — obliged
  8. scale — in music
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. degree — temperature
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bound — tied together
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. season — in sport
  17. scale — size or range
  18. degree — an amount
  19. row — a line
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. degree — from a university
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. season — to add flavour

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