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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · sharp · wave · game · net · foot

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. 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. wave — of the sea
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. tube — the underground
  5. net — after costs
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. net — in sport
  9. game — wild animals
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. game — a match
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. tube — a container
  14. foot — a measure
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. net — for catching
  18. 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