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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. kid — child
  3. game — wild animals
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kid — to tease
  10. game — a match
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rest — a break
  14. shower — rain
  15. stock — goods
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spell — magic
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. spell — letters
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stock — shares

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