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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. fine — all right
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — size or range
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. clip — for paper
  8. land — a country
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. land — ground
  12. clip — to cut
  13. saw — the tool
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. land — to come down
  18. mark — a grade
  19. scale — in music
  20. clip — a video
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mark — a trace
  24. fine — a penalty

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