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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. march — the month
  3. last — to go on
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. can — a tin
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. last — final
  11. can — a tin
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. march — the month
  14. spell — letters
  15. march — music
  16. can — to be able to
  17. shower — rain
  18. spell — magic
  19. shower — to wash
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. last — finally
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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