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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wind — moving air
  5. staff — employees
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. staff — a stick
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bound — certain
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. staff — employees
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bound — obliged
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. kid — to tease
  24. chair — to sit on

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