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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cold — not warm
  6. face — to confront
  7. rest — what's left
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rest — a break
  10. bound — certain
  11. swing — in golf
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. swing — music
  15. cold — an illness
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rest — what's left
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. face — to point toward

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