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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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. present — a gift
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pop — music
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. court — of law
  17. pass — a permit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. present — the time now
  20. object — an aim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. present — there
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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