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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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. game — a match
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. last — final
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cue — a hint
  13. deal — to handle
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. drill — a practice
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. drill — army training
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. game — wild animals
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. date — the fruit
  24. sharp — clever

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