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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wound — an injury
  9. deal — to handle
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. shower — to wash
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wind — moving air
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cold — an illness
  18. shower — rain
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wind — moving air
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cold — not warm
  24. wound — an injury

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