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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. ball — a dance
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. net — for catching
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. net — in sport
  9. spell — letters
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. scale — size or range
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. spell — magic
  15. scale — in music
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. net — after costs
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. ball — a great time
  22. spell — a short time
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stem — to come from

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