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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. staff — employees
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bulb — for light
  11. staff — a stick
  12. kid — child
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. staff — employees
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. march — the month
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. row — a line
  19. march — music
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. march — the month
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pass — to succeed

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