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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. file — a tool
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. kick — in football
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kid — to tease
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wake — before a funeral

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