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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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. court — of a king
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. season — in sport
  6. roll — a list
  7. court — for sport
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. season — of the year
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. kid — to tease
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. drill — army training
  20. roll — a cake
  21. court — of law
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wave — with your hand

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