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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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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. spring — of water
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. spring — the season
  16. fall — the season
  17. mate — to breed
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mate — a friend
  20. fine — all right
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. nail — on a finger

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