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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 116 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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. present — the time now
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. kid — child
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wake — a trail
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. race — a contest
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. present — there
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. race — humankind
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. present — a gift

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