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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: race · tear · key · swing · pitcher · sharp · wave · shower

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. swing — in golf
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. tear — from crying
  5. key — in music
  6. tear — to rip
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. key — for a lock
  9. shower — rain
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. race — a contest
  15. sharp — clever
  16. shower — to wash
  17. key — the most important part
  18. tear — from crying
  19. swing — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. race — the arms race
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. swing — to play on
  24. race — humankind

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