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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. game — wild animals
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fall — to drop
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. court — of law
  9. game — a match
  10. court — of a king
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. kick — in football
  14. tube — a container
  15. court — for sport
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. tube — the underground
  20. fall — to drop
  21. object — to protest
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. jam — in traffic

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