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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mug — a cup
  3. root — of a word
  4. key — for a lock
  5. root — the cause
  6. cold — not warm
  7. key — in music
  8. bass — low music
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bass — the fish
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mug — a face
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. key — the most important part
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wind — moving air

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