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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. rock — music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. face — part of the head
  10. land — to come down
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. face — to confront
  14. land — ground
  15. bulb — for light
  16. land — a country
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. face — to point toward

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