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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. squash — to crush
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. hand — in cards
  7. squash — the sport
  8. deal — to handle
  9. foot — a measure
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. charge — a price
  16. sharp — clever
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. row — a line
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — electricity
  24. row — to paddle

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