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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rule — government
  6. last — to go on
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ball — a dance
  11. present — a gift
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. ball — a great time
  14. season — in sport
  15. present — the time now
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. last — finally
  18. squash — the sport
  19. present — there
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. squash — to crush
  23. last — final
  24. season — of the year

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