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

Word bank: wave · fork · sharp · bass · cold · straw · ruler · chip

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cold — an illness
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cold — not warm
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chip — for betting
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bass — low music
  21. chip — to eat
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fork — in a road

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