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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. roll — a list
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. spell — magic
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. kid — to tease
  10. roll — a cake
  11. spell — letters
  12. lean — thin
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. season — in sport
  15. fine — high quality
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. ball — a great time
  23. season — of the year
  24. kid — child

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