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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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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 · rest · sharp · foot · rash · deal · pass · row

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pass — a permit
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rash — a series
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. rash — hasty
  18. sharp — clever
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. row — to paddle
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. pass — to succeed

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