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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. swing — music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. court — of a king
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rush — a thrill

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