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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 120 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. fine — all right
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — an aim
  6. lie — to recline
  7. track — a song
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. track — a path
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fine — high quality
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. chest — a box
  20. track — to keep track
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chest — of your body
  24. object — to protest

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