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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cold — not warm
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. roll — a cake
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. roll — a list
  18. cold — an illness
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pop — to visit
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. ball — a great time
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. ball — a dance

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