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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. land — a country
  6. net — for catching
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. cold — an illness
  9. net — in sport
  10. pitch — completely
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. land — ground
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. land — to come down
  16. game — a match
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. game — wild animals
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. plane — a tool
  23. net — after costs
  24. wave — of the sea

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