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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. craft — boats
  3. kid — child
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. field — for sport
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. kid — to tease
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. craft — a skill
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. field — a subject
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. toast — bread
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. field — farmland
  23. chair — a leader
  24. arm — part of the body

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