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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. track — a song
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chest — a box
  10. pop — soda
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pop — music
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. track — to keep track
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. ground — the earth
  18. deal — to handle
  19. track — a path
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. shower — rain

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