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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rush — hurry
  7. hand — help
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fall — the season
  15. court — for sport
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. sharp — clever
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. can — a tin

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