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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. scale — size or range
  5. season — of the year
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. face — to point toward

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