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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. shower — rain
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. ball — a great time
  14. club — for golf
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. club — a group
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. shower — to wash
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. kid — child
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. ball — a dance
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. trunk — of a car

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