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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. court — of a king
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. race — a contest
  5. rock — music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. present — a gift
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. race — the arms race
  12. court — of law
  13. present — the time now
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. race — humankind
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rock — a stone
  19. court — for sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. present — there
  24. object — an aim

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