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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pound — a weight
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. capital — money
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mark — a trace
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mark — a grade
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rest — a break
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. capital — a city
  23. kid — child
  24. wave — with your hand

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