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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. drill — army training
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. stock — shares
  11. cold — not warm
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cold — an illness
  16. stock — goods
  17. chip — for betting
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. game — a match
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mark — a trace

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