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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rash — a series
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. shower — rain
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. spell — letters
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. spell — magic
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fall — to drop
  15. shower — to wash
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spell — a short time
  22. saw — the tool
  23. scale — in music
  24. fall — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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