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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. sharp — clever
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pitch — completely
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. net — after costs
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wake — a trail
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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