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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. kid — to tease
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. kid — child
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. suit — to fit
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wind — moving air
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. degree — an amount
  18. suit — in cards
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. degree — temperature
  21. suit — clothes
  22. degree — from a university
  23. sharp — clever
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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