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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · wave · suit · wound · hand · march · net · cue

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. net — for catching
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. hand — help
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. suit — clothes
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bat — the animal
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. cue — for pool
  20. suit — to fit
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. suit — in cards
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. march — the month

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