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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. ground — a position
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. object — to protest
  10. dip — to sink
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. roll — a list
  16. spell — magic
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. spell — letters
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. mate — to breed
  22. roll — a cake
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — a thing

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