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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. scale — in music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. ground — a position
  11. stock — shares
  12. ground — the earth
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stock — goods
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. scale — size or range
  23. kid — child
  24. stock — a soup base

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