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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fine — all right
  5. land — a country
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. pit — in a race
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pit — a hole
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. ball — a dance
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fine — high quality

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