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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. object — an aim
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. face — to confront
  5. kid — child
  6. club — for golf
  7. kid — to tease
  8. club — for dancing
  9. roll — a list
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. club — a group
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. face — to point toward
  17. object — a thing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rush — hurry
  20. scale — in music
  21. object — to protest
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. face — part of the head

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