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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. saw — the tool
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bank — for money
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. saw — the tool
  12. game — wild animals
  13. kid — child
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bear — the animal
  21. ground — a position
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. roll — a cake

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