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

Word bank: wave · game · arm · toast · row · mouse · kid · cue

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cue — a hint
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. kid — to tease
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. kid — child
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cue — a signal
  18. game — a match
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. row — to paddle
  24. arm — part of the body

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