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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 a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. kid — to tease
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. root — of a word
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mate — to breed
  14. kid — child
  15. root — the cause
  16. mate — a partner
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. root — of a plant
  19. perch — the fish
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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