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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. roll — a list
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bear — the animal
  11. roll — a cake
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chip — to eat
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fan — a supporter

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