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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. face — to point toward
  3. last — to go on
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. kid — to tease
  6. can — a tin
  7. rash — a series
  8. spring — the season
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. march — music
  11. spring — of water
  12. face — part of the head
  13. march — the month
  14. face — to confront
  15. spring — a coil
  16. kid — child
  17. can — to be able to
  18. march — the month
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. can — a tin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wave — of the sea

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