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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fine — high quality
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. kid — child
  16. row — a line
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bass — low music
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — of the sea

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