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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. club — for golf
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. drill — army training
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. club — a group
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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