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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. kid — child
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fine — all right
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. ground — a position
  14. kid — to tease
  15. deal — to handle
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. ground — the earth
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rash — a series
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. row — a line

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