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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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468
Word bank
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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bass — low music
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. kid — child
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. cold — not warm
  12. snap — to click
  13. ground — a position
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rush — hurry
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bass — the fish
  20. kid — to tease
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cold — an illness

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