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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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468
Word bank
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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cold — not warm
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ground — a position
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. chair — a leader
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cold — an illness
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ground — crushed

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