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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cue — a hint
  5. face — to confront
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. last — final
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. cue — for pool
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cue — a signal
  13. last — finally
  14. face — part of the head
  15. last — to go on
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — bread
  18. face — to point toward
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. kid — child
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. pound — a weight

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