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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. spring — of water
  3. bat — the animal
  4. current — of water
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. current — electric
  7. spring — a coil
  8. can — a tin
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. pitch — completely
  12. current — happening now
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. spring — the season
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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