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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. rock — music
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. club — for dancing
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rock — a stone
  24. club — a group

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