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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. staff — employees
  4. pop — to visit
  5. staff — employees
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — the cause
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. staff — a stick
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cap — a hat
  24. last — finally

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