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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. scale — in music
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. sharp — clever
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pound — a weight
  13. stock — goods
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wake — a trail
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. scale — size or range

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