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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. game — a match
  4. charge — in control
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. charge — electricity
  7. game — wild animals
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. charge — a price
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cold — an illness
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. safe — a strongbox

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