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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 120 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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rash — a series
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. lean — to bend
  11. march — music
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. file — a document
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lean — thin
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cap — a lid
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. file — a tool
  22. cap — a hat
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rash — on the skin

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