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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 120 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — in cards
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. kid — child
  11. capital — money
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. suit — to fit
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. capital — a city
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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