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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. kid — child
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. roll — a cake
  8. present — a gift
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. present — the time now
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. roll — a list
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. present — there

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