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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. deal — to handle
  4. can — a tin
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cap — a lid
  10. can — a tin
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. spring — the season
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bass — low music
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. spring — of water
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. spring — a coil
  21. can — to be able to
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wake — a trail

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