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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pop — music
  7. staff — employees
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pop — to visit
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fall — the season
  20. squash — to crush
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pop — soda
  24. squash — the sport

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