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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mate — a partner
  3. track — a song
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cap — a lid
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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