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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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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: wave · fall · chest · bowl · sharp · rule

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. fall — the season
  3. rule — government
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bowl — to roll

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