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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cold — an illness
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bark — of a tree

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