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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. track — a song
  6. kick — in football
  7. cold — an illness
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mug — a cup
  10. shower — rain
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mug — to rob
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mug — a face
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. track — a path
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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