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

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. fall — the season
  5. cold — an illness
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. roll — a list
  8. toast — bread
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cold — not warm
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. hand — in cards
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. hand — help
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. safe — out of danger

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