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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. hand — in cards
  6. land — a country
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. mate — to breed
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. land — to come down
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. saw — the tool
  19. face — to confront
  20. hand — help
  21. land — ground
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — part of the head
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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