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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. net — in sport
  5. kid — child
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. net — after costs
  11. scale — in music
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. kick — in football
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rule — a law
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rule — government

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