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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. season — in sport
  3. scale — in music
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. season — of the year
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. cap — a hat
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. band — a music group
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cap — of ice
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. spell — a short time
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cap — a lid
  23. band — a ring
  24. season — to add flavour

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