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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fine — all right
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. present — the time now
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fine — high quality
  7. hand — help
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — child
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — there
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. mug — to rob
  22. plane — a tool
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rest — what's left

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