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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: last · lie · season · row · game · wave · present · tube

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. row — a line
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. last — final
  12. game — wild animals
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. season — in sport
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. last — finally
  18. game — a match
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. row — to paddle
  21. tube — a container
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. season — of the year
  24. last — to go on

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