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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. land — to come down
  5. file — a tool
  6. land — ground
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fall — to drop
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fall — the season
  17. lie — to recline
  18. file — a document
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mate — a friend
  22. land — a country
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. game — a match

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