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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cold — an illness
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. roll — a list
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. mate — a partner
  15. roll — a cake
  16. hand — in cards
  17. net — in sport
  18. mate — a friend
  19. hand — help
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mate — to breed
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. foot — a measure

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