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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. dip — to sink
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. tube — a container
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rash — hasty
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rash — a series
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. tube — in a tire

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