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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: wake · wave · board · drill · dip · cold · sharp · net

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — an illness
  3. board — to get on
  4. drill — the tool
  5. net — for catching
  6. board — a committee
  7. net — after costs
  8. wake — a trail
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. net — in sport
  14. dip — to sink
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cold — the Cold War

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