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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. charge — in control
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cold — not warm
  8. swing — music
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. charge — a price
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. capital — a city
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cold — an illness
  21. capital — money
  22. swing — to play on
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. leaves — to go away

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