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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 120 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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. mate — a friend
  3. court — for sport
  4. sharp — clever
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lean — thin
  8. court — of law
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bat — the animal
  13. spring — of water
  14. lean — to bend
  15. court — of a king
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. fall — the season
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mate — a partner
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spring — the season

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