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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. firm — decided
  8. clip — a video
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. firm — steady
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. sharp — clever
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lean — to bend
  16. degree — temperature
  17. drill — a practice
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. clip — to cut
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. firm — a company
  23. lean — thin
  24. drill — the tool

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