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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. rest — what's left
  5. present — a gift
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. rest — what's left
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rock — music
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bass — low music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spring — of water
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bass — the fish
  20. present — the time now
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rest — a break
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. present — there

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