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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. band — a ring
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rest — what's left
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. band — a music group
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. fine — high quality
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rush — hurry
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. fine — all right
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. kid — child
  23. bat — the animal
  24. kid — to tease

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