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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rule — a law
  3. can — a tin
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. fall — the season
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rule — government
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. can — to be able to
  15. roll — a list
  16. can — a tin
  17. squash — to crush
  18. roll — a cake
  19. fall — to drop
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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