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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. staff — employees
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. season — of the year
  10. staff — a stick
  11. cold — not warm
  12. staff — employees
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. perch — the fish
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. kid — to tease
  22. season — in sport
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cold — an illness

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