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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. court — for sport
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mug — a face
  6. rule — a law
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. craft — a skill
  9. court — of law
  10. mug — a cup
  11. court — of a king
  12. rule — government
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fall — to drop
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fall — the season
  18. wind — moving air
  19. kid — child
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. craft — boats

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