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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chest — of your body
  12. game — a match
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pop — soda
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pop — music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chest — a box
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rash — a series

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