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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. net — in sport
  4. roll — a cake
  5. drill — the tool
  6. charge — a price
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. drill — army training
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. net — after costs
  14. roll — a list
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. drill — a practice
  18. charge — in control
  19. bear — the animal
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bear — the animal
  22. charge — electricity
  23. degree — from a university
  24. net — for catching

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