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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rest — a break
  3. kid — child
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. kid — to tease
  10. row — a line
  11. cap — of ice
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cap — a hat
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cap — a lid

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