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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mouse · last · wake · chip · cold · wave · sharp · roll

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. roll — a list
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. last — final
  7. wake — a trail
  8. last — finally
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. last — to go on
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cold — not warm
  24. wake — before a funeral

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