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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. snap — to click
  5. face — to confront
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. cap — a hat
  11. face — part of the head
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. kid — child
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. chest — a box
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. face — to point toward
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cap — of ice

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