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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rash — hasty
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. clip — a video
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. kick — in football
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. rash — a series
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. kick — a thrill

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