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

Word bank: deal · ruler · wake · cold · face · bat · wave · dip

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. dip — to sink
  8. face — to confront
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cold — not warm
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. face — part of the head
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bat — for baseball

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