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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wound — an injury
  3. firm — steady
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. firm — a company
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. capital — a city
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. firm — decided
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. present — there
  21. rest — what's left
  22. shower — rain
  23. capital — money
  24. hide — to keep secret

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