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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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Word bank
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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: mouse · face · wave · kid · rash · pitch · staff · chair

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. staff — employees
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. staff — employees
  14. face — part of the head
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rash — a series
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. kid — child
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pitch — completely
  22. chair — a leader
  23. face — to confront
  24. chair — a professorship

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