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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 116 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's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cap — a lid
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cue — a signal
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. row — to paddle
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cap — a hat
  13. ball — a great time
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. ground — a position
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. file — a document
  20. cue — for pool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cap — of ice

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