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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · bear · pass · wave · chest · game

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chest — a box
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wave — a sudden rise

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