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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bass — low music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. land — to come down
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. chest — a box
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rest — a break
  22. chest — of your body
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. land — a country

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