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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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 — clever
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. race — humankind
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. squash — the sport
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. squash — to crush
  19. hand — help
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wake — a trail
  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