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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. kid — to tease
  3. club — a group
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. suit — clothes
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. club — for dancing
  11. kid — child
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. suit — to fit
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. snap — to click
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. suit — in cards
  22. saw — the tool
  23. club — for golf
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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