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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. spell — a short time
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. chip — for betting
  10. spell — letters
  11. chip — to eat
  12. perch — the fish
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. spell — magic
  18. kid — child

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