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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rush — hurry
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. spell — magic
  13. field — farmland
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ball — a dance
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fine — high quality
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. field — for sport
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. field — a subject
  24. kid — child

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