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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. lean — thin
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. tear — to rip
  11. court — of a king
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. game — wild animals
  14. fork — in a road
  15. game — a match
  16. lean — to bend
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. tear — from crying
  19. court — of law
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. tear — from crying
  24. court — for sport

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