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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. court — for sport
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. court — of law
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bat — the animal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. court — of a king
  18. bat — for baseball

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