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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. ground — a position

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