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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: wave · pop · roll · fine · hand · club · sharp · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fine — high quality
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. roll — a list
  13. pop — soda
  14. club — for golf
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. pop — music
  19. club — a group
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hand — help
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a cake
  24. chair — a leader

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