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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. dip — to sink
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. tube — a container
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. sharp — clever
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rock — a stone
  16. tube — the underground
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wake — before a funeral

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