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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. face — to point toward
  7. game — a match
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. season — in sport
  17. game — wild animals
  18. face — to confront
  19. pop — soda
  20. season — of the year
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wave — with your hand

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