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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. land — ground
  3. rash — a series
  4. bass — the fish
  5. swing — music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. land — a country
  9. bass — low music
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ground — a position
  16. rash — hasty
  17. swing — in golf
  18. land — to come down
  19. swing — to play on
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. ground — the earth
  23. shower — rain
  24. leaves — of a tree

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