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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: racket · wave · kick · roll · spell · cold · bank · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. spell — magic
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cold — not warm
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bank — for money
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. spell — a short time
  13. kick — in football
  14. bank — for money
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bank — of a river
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. roll — a list
  20. spell — letters
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. roll — a cake

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