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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. saw — the tool
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. kid — child
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. wound — an injury

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