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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. lean — thin
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mine — for digging
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. deal — to handle
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. lean — to bend
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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