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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. game — a match
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rock — music
  6. kid — child
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rock — a stone
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. game — wild animals

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