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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. club — a group
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — a city
  5. suit — clothes
  6. club — for golf
  7. suit — to fit
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. season — of the year
  14. capital — money
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. rest — what's left
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. club — for dancing
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. suit — in cards
  23. season — in sport
  24. rest — a break

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