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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  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. mate — to breed
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. object — an aim
  5. face — to confront
  6. object — a thing
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mate — a friend
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. ball — a dance
  13. object — to protest
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. ball — a great time
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mate — a partner
  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