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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. staff — employees
  4. swing — in golf
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. swing — to play on
  7. march — music
  8. drill — a practice
  9. swing — music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. march — the month
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. tube — the underground
  16. drill — army training
  17. march — the month
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. staff — employees
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. drill — the tool
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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