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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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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: lean · game · sharp · coach · wave · cap · row · roll

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cap — of ice
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. lean — to bend
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. game — a match
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lean — thin
  18. row — a line
  19. roll — a cake
  20. cap — a hat
  21. row — to paddle
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. roll — a list
  24. lean — to rest against

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