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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rash — a series
  11. game — a match
  12. march — the month
  13. pop — music
  14. march — music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. march — the month
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pop — soda
  19. game — wild animals
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. squash — to crush

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