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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. club — a group
  6. face — part of the head
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rash — hasty
  9. face — to point toward
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stock — shares
  13. toast — bread
  14. club — for dancing
  15. kid — to tease
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rash — a series
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. kid — child
  21. face — to confront
  22. stock — goods
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. dip — a sauce

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