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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. kid — child
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. suit — to fit
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. kid — to tease
  8. face — to confront
  9. rock — a stone
  10. file — a tool
  11. face — to point toward
  12. squash — the sport
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rock — music
  17. file — a document
  18. squash — to crush
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. game — wild animals
  23. face — part of the head
  24. suit — in cards

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