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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. file — a tool
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. file — a document
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. capital — a city
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mate — a friend
  24. capital — money

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