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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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468
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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. ground — crushed
  3. plane — a tool
  4. cold — not warm
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ground — a position
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pitch — completely
  24. sharp — clever

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