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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pop — to visit
  3. net — in sport
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ball — a dance
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pop — soda
  10. suit — to fit
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. suit — clothes
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — music
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. net — for catching
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. net — after costs
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ball — a great time

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