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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. content — the amount
  3. court — for sport
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. spell — letters
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spell — magic
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. spell — a short time
  12. hand — help
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. content — happy
  17. lie — to recline
  18. court — of law
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. branch — a division
  23. court — of a king
  24. hand — in cards

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