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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. 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. wave — with your hand
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. sharp — clever
  5. row — a line
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. field — farmland
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — a price
  14. staff — employees
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. staff — employees
  18. bass — low music
  19. field — a subject
  20. charge — electricity
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. field — for sport
  24. wave — a sudden rise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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