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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. ball — a dance
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. season — in sport
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. ball — a great time
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. season — of the year
  19. game — wild animals
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rest — a break
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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