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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 · drill · firm · kick · sharp · season · last · row

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. row — a line
  5. firm — decided
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. drill — the tool
  9. sharp — clever
  10. kick — in football
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. firm — a company
  17. drill — a practice
  18. season — in sport
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. drill — army training
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. firm — steady
  23. season — of the year
  24. last — to go on

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