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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. fork — in a road
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. court — of law
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. court — of a king
  10. board — a committee
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. board — to get on
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. fall — to drop
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. court — for sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. fall — the season
  24. sharp — clever

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