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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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. cold — not warm
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cap — of ice
  6. club — a group
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. current — electric
  11. club — for golf
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wound — an injury
  14. club — for dancing
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cap — a lid
  17. current — of water
  18. dip — to sink
  19. cold — an illness
  20. current — happening now
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. dip — to dunk

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