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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. club — a group
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. last — to go on
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. roll — a cake
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. last — final
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. roll — a list
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. kid — child
  19. last — finally
  20. rash — hasty
  21. kid — to tease
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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