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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wake — a trail
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. field — for sport
  10. race — humankind
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. race — a contest
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. field — a subject
  16. rock — a stone
  17. field — farmland
  18. cap — a hat
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. cap — of ice
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. race — the arms race
  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