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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. kid — child
  6. wound — an injury
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. rock — music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. row — to paddle
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. row — a line
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fall — the season
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wave — with your hand

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