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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. kid — child
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a list
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spell — a short time
  9. can — to be able to
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. can — a tin
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. mate — to breed
  15. roll — a cake
  16. spell — letters
  17. net — for catching
  18. mate — a friend
  19. spell — magic
  20. can — a tin
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rash — a series
  24. net — after costs

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