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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. game — a match
  3. pop — music
  4. track — a song
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pop — to visit
  8. fall — the season
  9. firm — steady
  10. track — to keep track
  11. firm — decided
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. track — a path
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. firm — a company
  19. pop — soda
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. kid — child
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. mine — for digging

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