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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. mug — to rob
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. face — to point toward
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. sharp — clever
  11. mug — a cup
  12. face — part of the head
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mug — a face
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. game — a match
  20. kid — child
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. plane — a tool
  23. face — to confront
  24. plane — in geometry

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