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

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. roll — a cake
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. roll — a list
  9. kid — child
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. toast — bread
  13. content — happy
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. content — the amount
  18. roll — on a roll

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