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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 is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. shower — rain
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. court — of law
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. court — for sport
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fine — high quality
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. court — of a king
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fine — all right
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. degree — from a university
  21. shower — to wash
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. fan — a supporter

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