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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. face — part of the head
  3. kid — child
  4. fall — the season
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rock — music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. scale — in music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mark — a grade
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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