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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wind — moving air
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. kid — child
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. staff — a stick
  15. snap — to click
  16. staff — employees
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. kid — to tease
  21. sharp — clever
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitcher — a jug

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