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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rush — hurry
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cold — not warm
  18. court — for sport
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. court — of law
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cold — an illness

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