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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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468
Word bank
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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 am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. wave — a sudden rise
  2. kid — child
  3. hand — help
  4. spell — a short time
  5. kid — to tease
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rest — a break
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — in a race
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. spell — magic
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. spell — letters
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  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